How I Survived Boarding School
by The Faded Guardian
Summary: High school. We all know what it's like. But for one girl, her sophmore year is going to be more interesting than she thinks... R&R please! MarLarx, AxelOC, ZexionOC, RoxasOC, DemyxOC. Rated for language, slight ref to violence & other...things.
1. Transfer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, I would be sooooo rich and I wouldn't be doing this sort of thing.**

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It's official. My life totally and completely SUCKS!! Why? Let's see... my parents are divorced, and _now_ I'm being put into a boarding school! Not any normal one either. No, **I** had to be going to, ahem, Destiny Islands Preparatory School. Isn't that just perfect? God, I can't believe _that_ is where I'm finishing high school. "Cheer up Riena," my mom said from the front of the car. "You'll make new friends."

"No I won't," I said. "I'm a giant social reject. Don't you remember?"

"Don't say that, honey." she said in a feeble attempt to cheer me up.

"Hnn..." I stared out the window and continued sulking. I didn't want to leave Destiny High. I didn't want to be left out again. I missed my old friend Sora. He said his cousin, Roxas, also went to Destiny Islands Prep. He had told Roxas to keep an eye out for me. I thought that was sweet, but I didn't care. Sora was the only one who talked to me at Destiny High. I had never met Roxas, so I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that he had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. "Riena, we're here." my mom's voice pulled me out of my trance.

"Wha? Oh." I got out and pulled my bags out as well.

"You have your cell phone, so call me if you need anything!" she called through the car window. I nodded and let myself be swallowed by the crowd.

I walked over to a table to get my schedule, while keeping an eye out for Roxas. After ten minutes, I reached the front of the line. The senior giving out schedules glanced up and asked, "Name?"

"Huh? Oh. Riena Takashi." I replied, a little flustered. She rummaged through the papers and handed me my schedule without another word.

I slumped against the fence and looked over my schedule. 1st period, English, 2nd period, geometry, 3rd period, PE and health, 4th period, art, 5th period, lunch, 6th period, history, and 7th period, study hall. I groaned. Seven periods! Each one was 45 minutes long, except lunch, which was an hour. "Hey." I looked up and saw a guy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes looking at me. "Are you Riena?"

I felt myself blush, and muttered, "Yes." If I hadn't known better, I would've thought that Sora and Roxas were brothers, not cousins. "You must be Roxas, right?" I asked shyly.

"Yep!" he answered, smiling. "Hey, why don't I introduce you to my buddy?"

"But I--" Before I could finish, Roxas was dragging me off towards some tall redhead.

"Hey Roxas," said the red-head, "Who's the new friend?"

"Axel, this is Riena," Roxas told him, "Riena, this is my friend Axel."

I smiled slightly and waved. Axel gave me a cocky grin and then asked Roxas, "Isn't she in our dorm?"

"Oh yea." When I looked at Roxas quizzically, he said, "All the dorms here are co-ed."

"Wh-what did you say?" I asked, hollowly.

"The dorms are co-ed." he repeated. "Y'know, boy and girl dorms."

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I tried again. Still nothing. I stood there, blank, and began to hyperventilate. I didn't work well with people. How was I going to survive in the dorm? I felt myself swaying back and forth. Axel had grabbed me my by shoulders and was shaking me saying, "Riena, you need to BREATHE!!"

"I AM BREATHING!" I screamed.

"Breathe slowly," Roxas told me. He took my hand and I calmed down immediately. I don't know why, but there's something about him that makes me feel... serene, I guess. "Okay, Axel," he said, "You can let go now." Axel released me and I collapsed into a heap on the asphalt.

"Ow..." I groaned. I got up again and dusted myself off and asked, "Are there anymore people in our dorm?"

"Let me see." Axel took out a small slip of paper and read off the names. "There's me, you, Roxas, and--" His face went pale.

"What?" Roxas and I asked at the same time. He handed the paper to Roxas, and as Roxas scanned the list of names, he stopped and howled with laughter. "Lemme see!" I snatched the paper from him and read the list. There was myself, Axel, Roxas and some person named Larxene. "Who's Larxene?" I asked.

Roxas had calmed down slightly and answered, "Well, I guess you could call her Axel's very own fangirl!"

I tried to suppress my laughter, but couldn't and ended up laughing along with Roxas. "Shut up!" Axel snapped. "She's not my fan--" He broke off and looked behind Roxas and I. "Shit." he muttered.

Roxas and I turned around and saw a girl with blonde hair. "Is that her?" I asked.

"Yup." Roxas replied.

"Well then, let's invite her over." I said, smirking.

"What? No!" Before Axel could stop me, I mimicked his voice and called, "Hey, Larxene! Over here!"

"Axel!" she squealed happily. She ran over to us and glommed onto Axel. She pointed to me and asked, "Who's your friend Axel?"

"I'm Riena." I said, using my 'perfect little angel' voice.

She glanced at me and said, "Oh." Then she turned to Axel and asked sweetly, "So, are we in the same dorm, Axel?"

"Yes..." he said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Yay! So, who else is in our dorm?" she asked.

Axel pointed to Roxas and I. "They are."

"Oh." She glared at me coldly. I hid behind Roxas and asked quietly, "What did I do?"

"Dunno." he replied, "Maybe she just hates you."

_Great._ I thought. _This year of high school is going to be just terrible.

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**Yay! First chapter! Reviews please! Reviewers are loved! **


	2. Love at First Sight

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this? It's not like I own anything except my OCs. So anyways, here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy!**

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It was 7:00 pm. My friends and I had already finished unpacking. Larxene on the other hand, had only unpacked 2 of her 3 suitcases. Our dorm wasn't exactly big, but it was a decent size. It had two bunk beds, a TV set, and a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. "Jeez this dorm is small," I said out loud.

"Well, what do you expect?" Axel asked, "Just because this place is a top school, doesn't mean it has everything."

"Well, I just thought…" I said, trailing off.

"What?" he snapped.

I curled up into a ball and muttered, "Never mind."

"Hey, go easy on her, Axel," Roxas said from the bunk above mine. "Just because you're so uptight on the first day back doesn't mean you have to take it out on her."

"Hmph," Larxene said snottily. "If she can't handle Axel, then she can't handle this school. She should get out of here while she can, before people start hurting her."

"What? Like you haven't already been a total bitch to me?" I asked, furious at her. "Look, just 'cause you're an A-List girl, doesn't mean you can stomp on anyone you hate. Those people have feelings too!"

They all stared at me in stunned silence, taking in what I, the seemingly harmless quiet girl, had just said. "Well, since I'm all unpacked, I'm going to go to sleep," I said, trying to forget what I had just done. "Good night." With that, I climbed under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

I had been sleeping peacefully, but suddenly felt myself being shaken. "Get up Riena." Someone, a guy, said.

"Mmph. Fi mo minutes…" I replied sleepily, closing my eyes tighter.

"You're going to be late." The guy warned.

"Lay fo wha?" I asked tiredly.

"Class!"

I bolted upright and nearly hit my head on the upper bunk. "Shit, shit, shit." I muttered. I filtered through my clothes and raced into the tiny bathroom to change. 15 minutes later, I came out, brushing the tangles out of my hair. I nearly ran into Roxas on my way out, but stopped because he had a huge grin on his face. "What?" I asked. "Did I miss something?"

He snickered and replied, "I tricked you. We don't have classes yet, we have breakfast."

I slapped him playfully in the arm. "You are so mean!" I said with mock hurt in my voice.

"Aww, I'm sorry." He teased. "The look on your face was worth it though." I stuck my tongue at him, and walked out of the dorm and down the hall.

Only when was half way down the hall did I realize I didn't know where I was going. "Crap…" I muttered. I looked for Roxas, but he was nowhere in sight. I tried to remember where the cafeteria was, but couldn't.

"Lost?"

I whipped around and saw a guy with pinkish-brown hair. "Uh, well, I, um… yes."

"All right. I'll take you to the cafeteria, okay?"

"Okay…" I said shyly.

"By the way," he said, "I'm Marluxia."

"I'm Riena," I said. "Riena Takashi."

"Nice to meet you Riena." Then, he gave me and _extremely_ sexy smile. I swear, it was the kind that could make you melt. I blushed and looked down at my feet. He walked me the rest of the way to the cafeteria and waved me off saying, "See ya later." And winked at me. I spotted my roommates and floated over to where they were sitting.

Axel smirked at me. "You seem happy." I just smiled, a serene smile plastered on my face. "Well, what's your reason?"

"Marluxia…" I sighed.

They all looked at me in shock. "But he's total A-list, Ri. I thought you hated A-listers." Roxas said, looking pointedly at Larxene.

"Wait, hold up." Larxene said. "Marluxia talked to _you_?"

"Yep. Why?" I asked.

"What did he do?" she asked. "Tell me!!!"

"Okay, okay!" I said. "Let's see… he walked me here, we swapped names, he gave me a _very_ sexy smile, and winked at me before he left."

"WHAT?!" she screamed. "I've been trying to get that treatment from him since forever!"

"Ahhh! Don't eat me!" I pleaded, ducking behind Roxas.

She calmed down and said, "I won't. But how about this? Since he's interested in you, how about we call a truce, okay?"

"Umm… alright I guess." We shook hands and finished breakfast. The bell rang and we went through our classes. I didn't see Axel and Larxene again until study hall. It was the only class that all the grades shared. Since Axel and Larxene were juniors, they didn't have the same classes as us sophomores. The four of us sat at a table chatting about our classes, when someone elbowed me and asked, "Are you Riena?"

"Guilty," I replied with a small smile.

He handed me a note and told me, "It's from Marluxia." I opened up the note and read it quickly. When I was done, I was blushing like mad.

"Ooh! Ooh! What's it say?" Larxene asked, trying to get a look at the note.

"I'll read it." I replied. "Okay, it says: 'If you would be so kind as to dine with me tonight, I would be extremely flattered. If not, then maybe some other time. But if yes, please meet me at the garden at dinner time. –Marluxia'"

They all gasped. "you should say yes, Riena!" Larxene urged.

"I'm for her going." Axel agreed. "What do you think, Roxas?"

"What? Oh yea, sure." Roxas muttered. "She should go if she wants."

"Okay. Hey, anything wrong, Roxas?" I asked.

"Oh, no." he replied. "I was just… thinking."

"Oh, alright." On the note I scribbled 'Yes, I would be very obliged to meet with you for dinner. See you soon! –Riena' I poked the kid who passed me the note and said, "Give this back to Marluxia." He nodded and passed it on. Marluxia read me answer and gave me his signature sexy smile. I blushed. _Maybe this year won't be so bad after all…_ I thought to myself.

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**There you go people! Chapter 2! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention earlier that there's going to be point of view switched later in the story. But probably not until chapter 4 or 5. Until next time, my readers!**


	3. Date Night

**Disclaimer: last disclaimer ever! I hate putting these things. I don't own Kingdom Hearts! Just the game! That's all I own, got it memorized? Anyway, here's chapter 3. Hope you enjoy!

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"How about this?" I asked, holding up a pair of ripped jeans and a black and white polo shirt.

"Hell no." Larxene said, rejecting another one of my outfits. She and I had been trying to pick something out for me to wear to dinner. "It's too plain for a dinner date," she added.

"Since when was it a date?" Axel asked, hanging upside down, from his top bunk.

"Since I said so," Larxene replied. "Here, put these on." She shoved a black skirt and white top at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, taking the outfit from her.

"Yep. And wear… these." She handed me a pair of flat, white, 'Cinderella slippers'.

"Alright." I walked into the bathroom and changed. When I came out, I asked, "Should I wear some make-up?"

She took a look at me and replied. "Just a little. Here, I'll do it." She took out some blush and eyeshadow. She pointed to a chair and told me, "Sit." I did as she said and waited for her to start.

"Why do girls always wear make-up?" Axel asked. "It seems so troublesome to put it on every day."

"I don't wear it every day." I said, trying to keep my head still.

"Don't talk," Larxene instructed. "You'll make me screw up."

"'kay." I sat still for the rest of the time until she finally clicked the eyeshadow case closed.

"Okay, you're done." I looked into the mirror she held out for me. "It's pretty subtle, but it's still there, so don't mess it up."

I turned to Roxas, who hadn't said a word the entire time, and asked, "So, how do I look?"

"You look… good." He answered quietly.

"Aww… thanks Roxas," I told him. "Well I better go. See you guys later!"

The three of them waved me off, and Larxene called, "Good luck!"

"Go get 'em, tiger!" Axel cheered.

I smiled and waved back. I shut the door to our dorm behind me. As I walked down the empty halls, I felt extra jumpy. I had butterflies in my stomach and could _not_ focus. I kept thinking of all the things that could go wrong while I was with Marluxia. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I nearly walked past the door to the garden. "Going somewhere?" I turned and saw Marluxia standing in the doorway. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe your destination is over here." I giggled a little as he took my hand and led me into the garden.

"Wow, it's beautiful out here." I commented. It truly was. The smell of the different flowers mixed with the smell of the night. The contrast between the colorfulness of the flowers and the black of the sky.

"Yea, it sure is," he agreed. "But c'mon. I have dinner waiting."

"Alright." He led me to a grassy hill and laid out a blanket. Then he produced a picnic basket and sat down on the blanket.

"Won't you join me Riena?" he asked politely.

"I would be a fool not to." I answered, sitting down next to him. We went through our meal not saying much. It was as if we already had a connection. When we finished out dinner, the two of us were lying on our backs staring up to the sky.

"You know what?" Marluxia asked, turning over to face me. "I feel like you are one of the people I can really talk to, Riena."

"Why thank you." I answered, turning over to face him. "You sure know how to flatter a girl."

"Hey now! I'm being serious!" he insisted.

"And so am I! But I never said it was a _bad_ thing."

"Yea? Alright then." He got up and held out a hand. "Let me walk you back to your room then, so you don't get lost."

"I suppose you can." I said grabbing his hand and letting him help me up.

"Oh yea! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, curious as ever.

"You'll see!" He answered. "Now close your eyes…" I closed my eyes and waited. "Hold out your hands…" I stuck out my hands and felt the crinkle of plastic. He wrapped my hands around it and said, "Alright, you can open your eyes."

I opened my eyes and in my hands was… "A plastic bag?" I asked, puzzled.

"No, silly," he said, ruffling my hair. "Open the bag."

"Oh. Right." I opened the bag and inside was a beautiful red rose with a black ribbon tied around the stem.

"Oh, Marluxia, it's beautiful!" I gasped.

"Do you know what it means?" he asked.

"No, what?"

"True love."

I nearly melted. He was so sweet. I didn't remember walking back to my dorm, but I did remember what happened when got back to my dorm. "Well, here's your dorm." he said, awkwardly.

"Yea, thanks." I replied, just as uncomfortable. "Thanks again for giving me the rose."

"No problem." He said with a small smile. "Well, good night." He bent down slightly and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back into a kiss. I felt temporarily fused with him. It was a moment of pure passion. When we finally broke apart, Marluxia told me, "Wow. You are a great kisser."

"Heh, you're not that bad yourself." I commented.

"Well, I better go. See you at study hall tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bye!" He walked off down the hallway. I took out my key and unlocked the door. When I walked in, Axel and Larxene began bombarding me with questions.

"What happened?"

"What was it like?"

"Did he say you looked good?"

"Did he give you something?"

"Did he walk you back to the dorm?"

"Did he give you a kiss?"

"Guys, guy," I said, holding up my hands, "it's been a long day, and I'm really tired. I'll tell you in the morning, okay?"

"All right…" they said dejectedly. Thankfully, they hadn't noticed the rose. I snuck into the bathroom and put the rose in a cup filled with water.

Before I went to bed, I noticed that Roxas was already asleep. "Hey, how long has Roxas been asleep?" I asked.

"I think about nine." Axel replied. "He said he felt like going to sleep early or some shit like that."

"Puh-lease." Larxene said. "That's just an excuse. His _real_ reason was that he didn't want to see a happy, glowy Riena when she got back."

"Why?" I asked dumbly.

"You. Are. So. BLIND!!" she exclaimed. "He LIKES you! Can't you tell?"

"Honestly? No." I answered.

"Whatever. Just go to sleep."

"Gladly."

"Good night, Axel!" Larxene called to him sweetly.

"Mmph…" Was his only response. "Dun forget you gotta tell us wha 'appened on your lil' date, Ri." He reminded me, sleepily.

"Yea, yea, whatever." I mumbled, trying to get to sleep. "G'night."

"Good night."

"Mmph…"

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**Wow… that was really long. Oh well, it works. Is what Larxene said about Roxas true? Find out next time! **


	4. Proposal? What the hell?

**Ok, well this chapter should be mildly interesting. There's a couple of POV changes, but mostly told from Riena's point of view. Enjoy!**

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_Boy, meet girl,_

_You were my dream, my world._

_But I, was blind,_

_You cheated on me from behind!_

_So on, my own,_

_I feel so all alone._

_Though I know, it's true,_

_I'm still in love with you…_

One of my roommates had the stereo on. I don't know who, but it was on. Now I was awake, and still tired. "WHO TURNED ON THE STEREO?!?" I yelled in a scratchy, 'I'm still tired' voice.

"I did," Larxene said, coming out of the bathroom. "Want me to turn it down?"

"Turn it OFF!" I yelled in my same scratchy voice, and throwing a sock at her.

"Alright, alright!" she said huffily. She threw the sock back at me and turned off the radio.

_Oog, _I thought to myself. _Today is going to be awful_. I dragged myself out of bed and went through my normal morning routine. Breakfast didn't taste like breakfast, it tasted like cardboard. I was drifting in and out during class and hardly ate at lunch. "Anything wrong?" Roxas asked, noticing I hadn't touched my lunch.

"No, not really." I answered. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Something Larxene said."

"What did she say?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"She said you liked me," I replied. "Is that true?"

He turned slightly red and quickly answered, "No, why would she think that?"

I shrugged. "How should I know? I don't analyze how A-listers function." We both started laughing, but then I stopped. "I shouldn't say that 'cause Marluxia's an A-lister, even if he doesn't act it."

"Yeah." Roxas agreed. "I guess you're right…"

The end-of-lunch bell rang and we gathered our things and walked to our next class. The rest of the day was uneventful until study hall. I sat with my usual group and was about to start some homework, when I felt someone cover my eyes. "Guess who?" the person asked in a playful voice.

"Hey Marluxia." I said, taking his hands off my face. "What's up?"

"God this is embarrassing…" I heard him mutter.

"What is?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied. "Since I'm doing it for you, it's not so bad." I cocked my head. I was pretty confused now. I gasped as he got down on one knee and took my hand. _Oh my gosh!!_ I thought, _is he proposing?!?!?_ I could feel the eyes of everyone in study hall staring at us. Then he asked, "Riena, will you… come the Home Coming Dance with me?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to propose to me!" I exclaimed. "But I would love to go to Home Coming with you."

The entire class gave a loud cheer. I blushed like mad and asked Marluxia, "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Why? Are you mad?" he asked, looking very worried.

"No, of course not!" I answered, "I'm flattered."

He sighed with relief. "Well, see ya, Ri." he said, getting up. "No backing out of Home Coming, kay?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, darling." I assured him, as he walked back to his table. He smiled, and started his own work.

When class ended, I went straight back to the dorm to IM Sora. I pulled out my laptop and switched it on. I logged onto my account, and saw that Sora was online, so I quickly IMed him before he had time to leave.

**ShadowAngel: yo! Sora!**

**SoratheSky: nani?**

**ShadowAngel: guess what?**

**ShadowAngel: i got asked to the Home Coming Dance!!!!**

**SoratheSky: omfgwtf???**

**SoratheSky: r u serious?**

**ShadowAngel: yup:)**

**SoratheSky: zomg! O.O**

**SoratheSky: who? who?**

**ShadowAngel: marluxia… -stares into space-**

**SoratheSky: tell me more…**

**ShadowAngel: lol. if i did, u would fall asleep**

**SoratheSky: -sigh- fine…**

**SoratheSky: I g2g**

**ShadowAngel: noooooooooo! why?**

**SoratheSky: am meeting kairi**

**ShadowAngel: who?**

**SoratheSky: tell ya later. bai!**

**ShadowAngel: byeeee!!**

**-SoratheSky has logged off-**

I logged out and turned off my computer. "Who were you IMing?" I toppled off my bed and looked up at a smirking Axel.

"Just a friend from my old school." I told him.

He gasped. "Are you cheating on your precious Marluxia?"

I smacked him in the arm. "Of course not! Where's Larxene? I need her to help me find something to wear to the dance."

"Oh, she's doing something. She told me to come back here."

"And you listened to her?" I shrugged. "Oh well. I'll ask later, then." I climbed onto my bed and got started on finishing the homework I had leftover from study hall. When Roxas walked into the dorm, I was taking a break from my history homework. My work was spread out on my bed and I was on the floor, nearly asleep.

"Are you dead?" Roxas asked, kicking me lightly.

"Huh? No." I said, pulling myself back onto my bed.

"You know it's almost time to go down to dinner, right?"

"Damn…"

"You want me to bring you back something to eat?"

"Really? Aww thanks Roxas!"

"No problem," he said, blushing slightly. "See you later."

Halfway through my geometry homework, I had fallen asleep. I was lying on my bed with my textbook covering my face and my right arm hanging off the bed. The smell of food woke me up, along with Roxas shaking me lightly.

"I brought food." he said, putting the plate next to my bed.

I flopped over and propped myself on my elbows. "What didja bring?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much," he replied. "Just some pasta, garlic bread, and a bowl of ice cream."

"Aww! You're so sweet!" I told him, picking up my plate of food. "So, is Larxene back? I need her to help me pick an outfit for the dance."

"Dunno," he replied. "I didn't see her downstairs."

"What about Marluxia?"

"Didn't see him either."

"Oh well. I'll call him later."

"Hn." Roxas climbed up the bunk above mine to finish some of his homework. I decided I was done and called Marluxia. It rang, and rang, and rang, and then, "Hello?"

"Hey, Marluxia!" I said. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing. Hey, where were you at dinner? I didn't see you."

"Homework. Roxas brought me up some dinner. But where were you? Roxas said he didn't see you."

"Oh, um, I didn't come down until later. Yea…"

"Hmm…"

"Hey, wanna come by my room?"

"Oh! Sure!"

"Okay, see you in ten."

"'kay, love you!"

"Love you too, bye!"

The phone clicked off and I stuffed it in my pocket. "Hey, Roxas," I called, "I'm going over to Marluxia's dorm, kay?"

"Hmm?" he said, looking up from his work. "Oh, alright."

"See you." I said, waving.

"Yea. Bye."

I walked up a flight of stairs up to Marluxia's floor. As I walked down the hall, I ran into Larxene. "Hey!" I said. "Where were you after study hall? Roxas said you weren't at dinner, and I really need your help choosing an outfit for the dance."

"Oh," she said. "I was, um, helping my friend with some homework she didn't finish in study hall and I ate with her, so, yea. And I'll help you later, 'kay?"

"Alright…" I said, slightly upset.

"All right! See you!" She continued down the hall back to our dorm. I watched her leave, and walked down to Marluxia's dorm. I knocked on his door and waited for him to open the door.

_Larxene's POV_

I was so relived to get out of Riena's sight. I'm glad she's so clueless. If she knew how to put two and two together, she would know what was going on and why I was there. Or maybe she does know and is just pretending everything's okay. Nah… probably not. Oh well, better go play with my other boy toy.

_Marluxia's POV_

I heard Larxene's fading footsteps and Riena knocking on my door. _Thank god she left when she did._ I thought to myself. Riena knocked again. God, the girl had no concept of patience. "Coming!" I called. I opened up the door and greeted her with a my-other-girlfriend-was-not-just-here smile.

_Riena's POV_

He opened the door and gave me his sexy smile. "Hey babe," he said, "I've been waiting."

"Waiting?" I asked. "Well we can't have that now, can we?"

He laughed and said, "No, so come on in." I walked in and saw that Marluxia was lucky enough to have his own dorm. The room was the same size, but seemed much bigger. That was probably due to the fact that, A) there was only one bed, B) it was clean, and C) it was organized, unlike the dorm I shared. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Watch a movie, talk? I'm up for anything."

"Hmm…" I thought about it for a while, and then answered, "I feel like watching a movie."

"Alright," he said. "You can pick."

"'kay." My hand skimmed over the titles until one caught my eye. I pulled it out and asked, "Can we watch this?"

"'The Ring'?" he questioned. "Sure. I didn't know you were a scary movie fan."

"There are lots of things you don't know about me." I pointed out.

"Yea, you're right." He popped the movie into the DVD player and let it start. I sat next to Marluxia holding on lightly to his arm. As the movie went on, I got more and more scared, causing my grip to get tighter and tighter. By the time the movie ended, I had a death-grip on his arm. He was shaking his arm and trying to get me to loosen my grip. "Come on, now. It's just a movie." He said, trying to make me less scared.

"B-but, wh-what if Samara tries to k-kill me?" I stuttered, still scared.

It's okay, I'll protect you." He said, pulling me into a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder, slowly relaxing. Then, in the dead silence, my cell phone began to ring. I yelped and took the phone at my pocket and threw it at Marluxia's bed. Marluxia picked up my phone and looked at the caller ID. "It's just Roxas, not some psychotic killer." He told me, handing the still-ringing phone to me.

"O-okay." I flipped open the phone and said, "H-hello?"

"Riena? Are you okay?" Roxas asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I told him calmly. "I just thought you were Samara."

"What? Did you watch 'The Ring'?"

"Yes…"

"I thought you didn't like scary movies."

"Shut up!"

"Whatever. Do you plan on coming back anytime soon? It's almost midnight."

"It is?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well hold on." I turned to Marluxia and asked, "Could you walk me back to my dorm?"

"Why? You scared that Samara might get you?" he teased.

"Maybe…" I replied shyly.

"Alright. Tell your buddy we'll be over in about five minutes."

"'kay." I turned my attention back to Roxas, who was still on the phone. "Hey, Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll be over in about 5 minutes, okay?"

"Okay, but how long will it take you to finish making out in front of our dorm?"

"Oh, just about ten minutes."

"You're sick, Riena."

"And you're just jealous, Roxas."

"Nyah. See ya."

"Bye." I clicked off the phone and said to Marluxia, "Alright, I'm ready."

"Okay, let's go." We got up and walked down the stairs back to my dorm. When we arrived, he gave me a kiss good night and said, "See you tomorrow, my love."

I blew him a kiss and said, "I'll be thinking of you, love." I unlocked the door to the dorm and walked in. Roxas, it seemed, had been waiting for me.

"So, how was it?" he asked.

"Oh, it was perfect." I gushed. "He is just soooo sweet!"

"I'm sure…"

"He is like, my knight in shining armor. He said he would protect me from Samara."

"She's just a movie character, Riena."

"So? You obviously don't understand the bond Marluxia and I share. I _love_ him, Roxas. And if you don't understand that, then I guess you aren't really my friend."

"Riena, I just–"

"Good night."

"But–"

"I said good night!" With no remaining energy, I fell asleep, but not before hearing Roxas whisper, "But _I_ love you, Riena."

* * *

**OMGLONG! My fingers hurt from typing so much, but it was worth it. This is probably a more crucial chapter in the story. There's something going on with Larxene and Marluxia, and Roxas just said he loved Riena!! Where will this lead? Will Riena even remember what Roxas said? Stay tuned!**


	5. Dirty Little Secrets

* * *

The rest of the week until Homecoming went by quickly. Roxas and I barely spoke to each other since my outburst. Wait, did I say "barely spoke"? I meant to say "didn't speak to each other". We were both pissed beyond all reason. Larxene and Axel kept trying to get us to make-up, but we just couldn't. The only thing I could look forward to was the Homecoming Dance, where I could dance the night away with Marluxia.

It was the day of the Dance and all classes had been canceled. I was very grateful because, the night before, I had been over at Marluxia's until about two in the morning, and hadn't gotten to sleep until about 2:30 am. So, I was able to sleep in. Now, I was changed into a wonderful dress (courtesy of Larxene) and was very restless.

"Stop fidgeting!" Larxene told me. "Unless you want to have a terrible make-up job, sit still!"

"Sorry," I said. "I'm just nervous 'cause this is the first time I've had an actual date for a dance."

"Oh, well, you just need to be calm and don't follow him everywhere. Guys find that annoying." She advised me.

"No freaking way." Axel mumbled.

"Did I say you could speak?" Larxene snapped. "Keep quiet and don't distract her."

Two hours later, my hair and make-up was finally done. Then, it finally struck me. "Where's Roxas? I haven't seen him all day."

"Oh, he said he was gonna hang out with his date." Axel reported.

My eyes grew wide. "Roxas has a date? Since when?"

"Since two days ago. And she is _hot_."

"Why didn't I know this? And you think all girls are hot, you perv."

"Say it loud, say it proud, sweetie." He said smiling. "And you two haven't been talking, remember?"

"Oh yea… but why didn't you tell me?"

"Because anytime Roxas came up in the conversation, you left to go screw the brains out of your boyfriend."

"Hey! That's not fair! I did _not _screw Marluxia!"

Axel and Larxene just gave me looks that said, "Sure you didn't". But it was true! I had been a good girl every time I was with Marluxia. Well, except that one time when we both ended up with his shirt off and mine halfway off, but that didn't count! Oh well. There was nothing at all to be done about that, so I just waited for Marluxia to pick me up.

_Marluxia's POV_

I walked down the stairs to Riena's dorm. I smoothed down my hair one more time and knocked on the door. I heard Riena's voice call, "coming!" She opened the door and looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hey angel, ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep." She replied. "I'll see you two when you get down, kay?"

"Alright." Axel replied.

I looked behind Riena and mouthed to Larxene, "See you later." She just stared and nodded silently. I looped my arm in Riena's and walked down to the giant hall being used for the dance.

We got to that Dance at around eight. We danced for a little until Larxene showed up with Axel. I desperately wanted to see Larxene so I told Riena, "I'm going to get a drink. You want anything?"

She shook her head and said, "No. Don't take too long."

"Kay." I headed around the dance floor and walked toward Larxene. "Hey babe," I said, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Hey sweetie," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "How's Riena?"

"Let's not talk about her."

"Alright."

"Would you care to dance?" I asked, leading her to the dance floor.

"Of course, darling."

We shared one slow dance and broke apart. "I better go back to Riena." I told her.

She sighed. "Alright. Come back soon."

I nodded and went around the dance floor back to my original.

"What took you?" she asked when I came back.

"Sorry, I was talking to a friend." I replied readily. What? It was true wasn't it? I did talk to a friend. She just happened to be my other girlfriend.

The night dragged on and I was running back and forth between Larxene and Riena. Then the worst happened. I was talking to Riena when I said, "So, you want to do something later, Larxene?" I clapped my hand over my mouth and thought, _oh shit…_

"What did you call me?" she asked a slight edge in her voice.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." I replied nervously.

"Hn…"

"Hey, Riena, we need to talk."

_Riena's POV_

_Oh. My. God._ I thought to myself. _What did I do?_ "O-okay…" He took me over to a decently empty area and apologized for calling me Larxene.

"I also need to tell you something else." He said.

"What?"

"I think we should see other people."

"Wh-why??"

"Let me explain." Larxene walked over with a smirk on her face. "He doesn't like you. He was going out with me all this time. And he called yo 'Larxene' because he loves me. Not you."

"What?" I asked, my sadness turning to anger and hate.

"It's true." She told me smugly.

That's when I snapped. I slapped Marluxia and yelled, "YOU LYING, CHEATING LITTLE BASTARD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN! I HATE YOU!" I burst into tears and ran. Someone tried to grab me, but I just kept running. I ran all the way back to the dorm. I unlocked the door and slammed it behind me. I picked up the nearest sharp object, and made four horizontal cuts along my arm. I had felt no pain from the cuts. No, I just felt all my worries spilling out with the blood. Everything that had to do with any relationship I had with Marluxia and my fight with Roxas. They all left me along with the blood. I cleaned up the blood on my arm and thought, _what if one of them sees and tells everyone?_ So, I pulled out a wristband and put it over my cuts. I pulled out my "My Chemical Romance" CD and listened to it on repeat. I was curled up and still sobbing slightly when Roxas and Axel came back. Roxas ignored me and Axel immediately came over and said, "I heard what happened, Riena."

Remembering Marluxia brought on a fresh round of tears, followed by an instant urge to cut myself. But I resisted the urge and just sobbed some more saying, "H-he ha-hated m-m-me! I th-thought w-we ha-had s-some-something special!"

He wrapped his arms around me and told me, "Hey, it's okay. There are other fish in the sea."

"But I d-don't want a f-fish! I j-just want M-Mar-Marluxia!"

"Shh… you'll find someone else, who really cares about you."

"I thought th-that h-he cared!!"

"Obviously he didn't. If he couldn't see how wonderful you really are, he wasn't worth your time."

I let myself go limp in his arms and cried and cried and cried on his shoulder. He smiled slightly and said, "Y'know, it's going to take forever to wash these tear stains out."

I laughed slightly and wiped away my tears with my wristband. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, trying to take off my wristband.

I pulled my hand away and quickly replied, "It's nothing, really."

"Alright…well, you better get some sleep. Hopefully you'll feel better in the morning."

"Yeah…thanks Axel."

"No problem. Now hurry up and get to sleep."

I nodded and went into the bathroom to change. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my tear-stained face, and blood-shot eyes. I looked like I had just seen someone die. I changed out of the dress Larxene had let me borrow and into my pajamas. I looked at the dress and wanted to throw it out the bathroom window, tear it up, shred it, something! I picked up a razor blade and tore it down the dress. I stuffed it in a bag with a note that said, "I brought your dress to the cleaners. Just think of it as a present. –Riena"

I set the bag on her bed and climbed into my own bed. I watched as she picked up the bag and took out the dress. She gave a shriek of terror and yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!?"

I yawned and pretended to wake up saying, "Wha? Wha 'appened?"

"MY DRESS! YOU RUINED IT!!" she screamed. "IT WAS MY FAVORITE ONE!!"

"Oh really?" I asked, "Let me _fix_ it for you, then." I picked up my blood stained compass (which was still on the floor) and grabbed the dress. I dug it into the soft fabric and tore away at the beautiful dress until there were three more rips in the silk. I shoved it back at her and yelled, "Here you go, you snarky bitch! I hope your life becomes as miserable as mine!"

She slapped me across the face and I grabbed her arm and gave her and Indian sunburn. She screamed out in pain and I yelled at her, "YOU THINK THAT HURTS? YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN IF IT BIT YOU IN THE ASS!" I let go of her and said darkly, "I'll get you, just you wait."

She gave me a wiry smile and said, "I'd like to see what you can do."

I smirked back saying, "I'm sure you would." And I already had a plan forming in my head.

* * *

**Whew! That was a long ass chapter! But, it was crucial, so I hoped you enjoyed it. Next time: the revenge chapter! Don't forget to review!**


	6. I'm Gonna Walk All Over You

**Whoo-hoo!!! Chapter 6! Chapter of revenge…anyways…enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

I smiled to myself. A couple pictures and a sweet little thing called photo-shop can really help revenge. I sang under my breath, "These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you."

Axel showed up by my side, carrying a stack of papers. "Did you need to make this many?" he asked, shifting the papers around.

"Yes. It's my revenge." I replied. "Roxas! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He walked out carrying a box of tacks. "'Kay, let's go."

Roxas and I had finally made up from our fight. When he heard that I was seeking revenge on Larxene, he instantly agreed to help me, along with Axel. We had planned out every tiny detail. Now, it was time to put my plan into action. It was almost an hour until breakfast time, just enough time for me to put everything into place. We crept along the empty halls tacking up signs that said, "Hottie on the market. Cost: $20. Call 392-6452 for an appointment." Underneath this was a photo-shopped picture of Larxene. I had worked a week straight on making her look like a ho. The final product had Larxene in a black mini-dress, fishnet tights, knee high boots, and black gloves. "You are awful, you know that?" Axel commented.

"Yes, but I'm not a ho who put herself on the market." I replied.

"But she didn't," Roxas pointed out. "You did."

"Let's just say I…helped her." I said slyly.

Time was beginning to run short, so we split up and put up the rest of the signs. By the time the three of us were seated and eating, Larxene came rushing through the doors of the cafeteria, trying to take down as many signs as she could. But alas, it amounted to nothing. After the morning announcements, the principal, Mr. Xemnas, called Larxene to the office. Pale-face, she got up and walked toward the hallway to the principal's office. As she walked past our table, I whispered loud enough for her to hear, "I told you. That's why my boots are meant for walking all over people."

She glared at me and hissed, "You want war? Well you just got it, sweetie."

I just smirked and said, "Bring. It. _On._"

"Oh, I will." She turned on her heel and walked out the door.

_Larxene's POV_

I walked down to the office and knocked on the door. I waited nervously for Mr. Xemnas to let me in. I was about to knock again when he said, "Come in." I walked in and sat in one of the cushy chairs across from him. He turned and faced me and asked, "What is the meaning of this, Larxene?" He was holding up one of the signs that Riena had made.

"I swear, Mr. Xemnas, I didn't make those signs!" I exclaimed.

"Larxene, I know you're a good student, but I'm afraid I'll have to suspend you for the week."

"No! Mr. Xemnas! I didn't make those signs!"

"I'm sorry Larxene. But unless you can prove that you didn't make those signs, I'm afraid you have a week of suspension ahead of you."

"Okay…"

"Thank you. You are dismissed."

He wanted proof, huh? Well I knew just where to get it.

_Riena's POV_

Back in the dorm, the three of us were still talking about what had happened to Larxene. "I mean, did you _see_ the look on her face?" I asked. "She looked like she had been sentenced to Death Row!"

"I know!" Roxas exclaimed. "_I_ still can't believe it worked!"

"Yea! Now all we have to do is delete the evidence." I took out my laptop and deleted the files. They weren't entirely gone, but if Larxene went looking for evidence, she wouldn't find it. "Let's see her try and worm her way out of this one." I said with a smirk.

They laughed and then Axel proposed, "How about we go down to that club to celebrate?"

"Oh! You mean the one your brother works at?" Roxas asked.

"Yup!"

"Uh, hello? Missing in action." I said. "What club? And how are we going to get there?"

"Oh, I never told you where my brother works?" Axel asked.

"You never even told me that you _had_ a brother." I stated.

"Oh, well, my brother, Reno, is 19. He works at a teen club not too far away"

"Uh-huh…and how are we getting there, pray tell?"

"My brother will drive us there, of course."

I let out a long sigh. "Fine, call your brother."

"'Kay."

_Axel's POV_

I took out my cell and called up my brother. It rang about five times before he finally picked up. The lazy ass… "Hello?"

"Yo! Reno!" I said, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much, little bro. I'm just getting ready to go to work." He answered.

"Okay. Hey, I was wondering if you could pick me and a couple of my friends and bring us with you."

"Sure. How many are coming?"

"Three of us." Then I heard Roxas say, "No, Naminè's coming too. I just texted her and she wants to come."

"Alright." I answered, and then said to my brother, "Scratch that. There's gonna be four of us."

"Okay. I'll be by in half an hour, 'kay?"

"Alright. See ya then."

"Later little bro."

I hung up and told Riena, "He's gonna be here in half and hour, okay?"

"Alright…" she replied.

_Riena's POV_

I sighed and hoped to whatever god that Axel's brother wasn't as big a pervert and as he was. "Who's Naminè?" I asked Roxas.

"Oh yea…I never told you, huh?" Roxas said.

"Umm…no."

"Oh, well she was my date for the Home Coming Dance."

"Oh really?"

"Yea…"

"So, what's she like?" I couldn't explain why, but my tone had turned slightly icy.

"Well, she's pretty cool" The look on his face asked, 'Got a problem?'

"Well tell her to hurry up or we're leaving without her." I stood up and walked into the bathroom.

I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection. I looked nothing like my old self. My eyes had circles under them from getting to sleep late because I had stayed up all night crying over what had happened between Marluxia and I. I would stay up all night crying, and never fell asleep until I was sure everyone else was. I was always scared that they might try to take off my wristband and discover the cuts on my wrist.

I reached into my pocket and felt my compass. I pulled it out and felt relieved already. I punctured it into my skin and dragged it across my wrist. I took out and cringed slightly at the blood, but I had grown used to it. I stood there, watching the blood ooze out. I felt the iciness toward Roxas fade away. "Riena!" Axel called, pulling me out of my trance. "C'mon, my brother's gonna be soon!"

"I'm coming!" I called back, pulling my wristband back over my cuts. I walked out and joined Roxas and Axel. "Where's _Naminè_?" I asked Roxas coolly.

"She's meeting us outside." He replied, ignoring my tone.

"Oh…" I walked out and down the hall. I waited outside for the three and kept an eye out for Reno's car. I shivered slightly in cold October breeze and felt someone tap me on the shoulder. "I think you forgot this." Axel said, holding out one my coats.

"Thanks," I said, taking the coat from him.

"Heh, no problem." And I swear I he turned a shade of red. But, that was my eyes playing tricks on me.

I heard two more people walking toward us. I turned around and saw Roxas and a shy looking girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, much like Roxas. She was clinging to his arm and laughing at everything he said. Never had I seen someone so desperate for attention before. _That is so sad…_I thought to myself. They walked over to Axel and I. "Naminè, this is Axel and Riena." Roxas said, gesturing to each of us. "Guys, this is Naminè."

"Hey Naminè." Axel said with a slight wave.

"Hello Axel." She turned to me and said, "Oh my god!! Roxas has told me sooo much about you! You must be great friends!"

"Yea. We are." I said, a bit embarrassed. "But I can't I've heard much about you, though."

"Really? Oh well, we can talk more at the club, 'kay?"

"Sure. Whatever…"

At the sound of squealing tires, the four of us turned around and saw sleek black car pull up. Out hopped a redhead about as tall as Axel, with his hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. He walked up to us and said, "Hey guys! Name's Reno."

"Hey Reno," Axel said. "These are my friends, Riena, Roxas, and Naminè."

"Hi Reno!" I said, stepping forward. "I'm Riena Takashi."

He walked up to me and said, more to my chest than to me, "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Takashi."

I knelt down and pointed my face saying, "My face is here, not there."

"Oh. Uh, sorry. Well, let's get going." The five of us got back into the car. Axel sat up front with his brother, while Roxas, Naminè, and I sat in the back.

15 minutes later, we had pulled up in front of club. There was a neon sign hanging from that read, "Oblivion". We piled out of the car, and Reno walked to the door and pulled it open, saying, "Welcome to Club Oblivion."

**

* * *

Well, there you go! Wonder what will happen with Riena and Reno? Wonder if she'll run into Marluxia and Larxene there? Of course you do! Stay tuned for chapter 7!**


	7. Hey Baby

**Faded: So I decided to finally update this one, sorry to keep you guys waiting so long –sweatdrop- School kinda got the best of me. I damn the IB program!! –shakes fist at sky- Anyways, I present to you, the long awaited 7****th**** chapter of ****How I Survived Boarding School**

**Riane: Yay!**

**Faded: Shut up, you stupid muse of mine.**

* * *

_Larxene's POV_

I crept my way back into the room, making sure no one else was around. Once inside, I checked the room again to make sure no one was there. When I was finally sure they were gone, I reached under Riena's bunk and pulled out her laptop. I switched it on and pulled up her files to check if she had deleted it yet. My eyes scanned the long list of files names, but found only some papers for school. Next, I checked the recycle bin. It hadn't been emptied, so I thought it might still be sitting in there. I opened each file to see if it was _the_ sign. I looked and looked, but couldn't find it. Then I realized what she had with it. She had deleted the file off the hard-drive. She was smarter than I gave her credit for, but still, it was gone. Completely. Frustrated, I picked up my cell and called Marluxia. I drummed my fingers impatiently as I waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" he said, finally answering the phone.

"Hi. Can we go somewhere?" I asked, making the frustration apparent in my voice.

"Sure," he replied. "Didn't find what you needed?"

"No." I replied sourly.

"Alright, alright, don't bitch to me. Where do you want to go?"

"Club Oblivion."

"Fine, bye."

"Gee, love you too."

I snapped my phone shut, walked to my car, and headed for the club.

_Riena's POV_

I had only been dancing for about half hour before I had become tired. Flopping down on one of the chairs by the counter, catching my breath. I waited for someone to come along so I could order a Coke or something. Then, who should come along but, yep you guessed it! Reno! "Hey cutie," he said stopping in front of me. "What can I get ya?"

"First of all," I replied, "Don't call me 'cutie.' Second, I want a Coke on ice."

"Sure thing, sweetie."

As he sauntered off, I glared at his back, sending waves of hatred at him. Then, I felt a breeze waft through the door. I looked over to see who had just come in, and I gasped at the sight. Yes, enter Marluxia, my bastard ex. Still, he looked as charming and enchanting as always. Tears stung my eyes, threatening to come pouring out. I missed him and hated him so much! Then Reno came back with my Coke. "Here ya go babe," he said sweetly. "On the house."

I rolled my eyes and told him, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Yea I know, but I can still try."

I smiled a bit and took a sip of my Coke. "Hmm…"

Axel walked over and said, "Hey stranger. This guy bothering you?"

"Yes. Can you ask your brother to leave me alone?" I asked.

"I guess I can." He turned to Reno and said, "Shouldn't you be working?"

"What? Oh yeah." He got up and said, "See ya Ri."

"Sorry about my brother," Axel said blushing slightly from embarrassment. "He's a real pain sometimes."

"No problem," I said, smiling slightly. "Thanks for getting rid of him, though."

"Sure. So," he said getting up, "Wanna dance?"

"Alright. Wait until the next song starts, though."

A few minutes later "My Immortal" came on. Axel took my hand, and led me to the floor.

_**I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
**_

Dancing with Axel made me feel…different. He felt safe. I relaxed slightly and swayed in time to the music.

_**And it won't leave me alone  
These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase**_

_**  
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me**_

The song seemed reflective of how I felt towards Marluxia. I wanted him out of my life, but he still could have me wrapped around his finger is he wanted. I moved closer to Axel and felt his arms around me tighten. And that was how we stayed for the rest of the song.

As the final note played, Axel leaned in, eyes closed. I leaned in as well, eyes closed, heart thudding in my chest. But mere seconds before me kissed… "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" My eyes flew open and I turned to see a girl about my age standing right by us. "I didn't know what was gonna happen, so I figured I should stop you before anything really bad happened."

My face flushed to a red ten times redder than Axel's hair. "Wh-who are you?" I asked the girl nervously.

"The name's Naomi Nagasaki!" she replied with a grin. "I just transferred to Destiny Islands Prep! Know anyone who goes there?"

Axel and I exchanged glances. "We do." I told her.

"Oh really? Cool!"

"Yeah…so, whose dorm are you in?"

"Some guy named Marluxia's dorm."

My jaw dropped. "You poor, poor thing." I said, hugging her.

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Oh you'll find out…"

"Tell meeeeee!!"

"Just tell him no, ok?"

"Uh…ok! But say no to what?"

"You'll know when he asks."

A few days later, we had gotten Naomi transferred to out dorm, and Larxene was in Marluxia's. it was a good set up for Naomi, Roxas, Axel and I, but not so much for Marluxia and Larxene. If you're wondering why, it's because that night at the club, Larxene hadn't seen Marluxia (who was already there) and decided to flirt with Reno. When Marluxia had found those two together, he had flown off the handle and broke up with her on the spot. Oh well, at least the she-devil is gone.

Now I was on my way back from study hall, when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see who it was and…BAM! It was Marluxia. He caught up to me and asked, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. Talk." I replied stopping in the middle of the hall.

"First of all," he said, "I want to apologize for what I did to you, and I was wondering if you would give me a second chance."

"Aww…how sweet," I commented. "But no, I'm not giving you a second chance."

"Please?" He clasped his hands together.

"Hmm…no."

"Please?" He was on his knees.

"Lemme think––yea, no."

"But why?"

"I'm with Axel!" And as if on cue, Axel came walking up and asked, "Where were you?"

"I was on my way back." I told him, as we left Marluxia behind.

When we got back to the dorm, Naomi looked up from her work and asked, "So where were ya?"

"_He_ tried to ask me out again." I answered.

"Oh. Okay."

_Naomi's POV_

Two hours later, the four of us were sitting down for dinner. As I pulled out my chair, a flash of lavender caught my eye. I turned to see who it was and saw two boys. There was a tall blonde one and a shorter one with lavender-ish hair. It had been the shorter one that caught my eye, though. His hair was slight fringed in the back, and had long bangs the flopped over his left eye. The look on him was perfect, and then, he turned around and saw me. I quickly looked away and felt a blush rising on my cheeks. I tapped Riena on the shoulder and asked, "Who's that?"

"He's Zexion," she replied through mouthfuls of food. "He's in our geometry class."

"Ohh…the quiet guy?"

"Yep. And the blonde is his friend Demyx."

"Ok then…thanks." I ate my dinner in silence and spent the rest of the time stealing glances at Zexion and waiting for my roommates to finish eating. _I don't have a chance with him._ I thought to myself. _He has so many other choices, why would he choose me?_ I sat there in my little dream world until Axel said, "Who ya staring, Naomi?"

I pulled out of my trance and replied, "No one! Why would you think that?"

"It's ok," Riena told me. "I mean he _is_ hard to resist. _And_ he's known as 'Sexy Zexy' by 90 percent of the female population here." This earned her a playful slap from Axel. "Not that _I_ know him by that…" she finished, turning slightly red.

"Sure you don't," Roxas teased.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

While the two of them continued bickering, I turned my attention back to Zexion. I don't have a problem, I swear!! Ok, maybe a little bit, but whatever! I mean, he's just so…I don't know. I twisted in my chair, trying to get a better look at him.

Then, Demyx turned around and caught me staring. He snickered and whispered something to Zexion. I turned away and felt myself grow redder and redder. Now, I was extremely embarrassed and left the table before I embarrassed myself even more. As I walked down the hall, I heard footsteps behind me. Was it Zexion?? I stopped and turned around. My heart sank at the sight. No, it was only Demyx. He caught up and said, "Hey Naomi! Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure. What is it?" I asked.

"Will you go out with me? I promise I won't let anyone hurt you!"

I didn't want to upset him by saying that I liked his friend, so I rejected him as lightly as I possibly could. "Umm, no."

"Please?" he clasped his hands together gave the kicked-puppy look.

"Demyx, I'm 15. Puppy eyes don't work on me."

"Pleeeease?" His lower lip trembled slightly. _Oh shit!_ I thought to myself, _is he gonna break down if I say no again? I don't wanna be known as the bitchy girl that made Mr. soft-and-sensitive cry!_ His adorableness slowly ate away at my barrier until finally I broke down and replied, "Oh, alright. I guess I can try going out with you…"

"Yay!" he exclaimed, hugging me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" He was so happy, I couldn't help but smile. And he seemed sweet enough, too. Who knows, maybe he's better for me than Zexion. Ha-ha. Yea right.

_Riena's POV_

By the time Roxas, Axel and I were back in the dorm, Naomi still wasn't there. _Wonder where she is._ And then, as if to answer my question, in walked Naomi accompanied by Demyx.

"Bye Demyx!" she said, waving.

"See ya! And don't forget, Friday at 7," he told her.

"I know, bye!"

"Bye!"

She shut the door and saw us all either staring at her or giving her some type of weird look. "What?" she asked clearly confused.

"You and Demyx?" I asked. "I thought you liked Zexion!"

"Yea, but Demyx played the adorable card on me."

"Ok…so what's going down on Friday?"

"Nothing much. We're just gonna hang out and see where the night leads."

"Oh really?" Axel asked, cutting in. "And where are you going to lead it?"

"Ewwll!!" she exclaimed. "You're gross Axel! I don't understand how you can stand going out with him, Ri."

"Me neither." I said, "But he's just cool like that."

"Yup. Got it memorized?" he asked, pulling me closer.

Naomi just made a face at us, and I stuck my tongue out at her.

* * *

**Faded: Well, that's it for now!**

**Riane: Yay!**

**Faded: -hits her snake muse on the head- Anyways, as always, please review or what ever. Just don't flame or I'll get Demyx to put it out with his sitar.**


	8. Kiss the Girl

**Faded: Well, here's chapter 8. Poor Roxas, I'm really starting to feel sorry for the little guy. Why? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Riane: Oooh!! I know! It's cause--**

**Faded: -covers Riane's mouth- It's not important.**

**Riane: Fiiine...anyway The Faded Guardian doesn't own any of the characters/songs/places in this story except for the OCs. All of that stuff belongs to their rightful owners. -nods-**

**Faded: And now, I give you...CHAPTER 8!!**

* * *

_Bleh._ I thought to myself. _I seriously hope I passed that history test._ I was so nervous about my grade I hardly ate any of my dinner. But why shouldn't I have been? That test was worth like, 200 points in the grade book! But whatever…it'll be fine. Hopefully… Then, I couldn't take the stress anymore, and 20 minutes before dinner was over, I got up and said, "I'm going back to the dorm."

"I'll come with you," Axel said, getting up as well.

I nodded blankly and waved goodbye. I heard Naomi say goodbye and saw Roxas wave to us. _Wonder if he's ok. He's so distant these days…_

As Axel and I trooped up the stairs to the dorm, I felt like something was going to happen. Something _big_. A thousand and one possibilities raced through my head, but none of them seemed right. What, what, WHAT was going to happen? It was driving me to the brink of fucking insanity. When Axel opened the door, I was a bit nervous about going in. "Come on," Axel said gently. "Aren't you going to come in?"

"Yea, I'm coming…" I replied, nodding.

I walked in and sat down on my bed, kicking my feet back and forth. Axel came over and sat next to me and asked, "Anything wrong? You seem kinda out of it."

_Yes!_ My mind screamed. _Everything is wrong! No matter how hard I try, my thoughts always, ALWAYS go back to Marluxia!_ But instead of that, I said, "No. I'm fine."

"Alright. If you say so…" He scooted closer and slid his hand on top of mine. The hunger and lust that filled me was unimaginable. I _wanted _him. My whole body screamed for him. _Just kiss him!_ My mind shrieked, _just do it!_ Unable to resist my body's commands any longer, I leaned towards him. Before I knew it, our lips were sorta smashed together. And this time, instead of hearing a Naomi, part of a song danced through my head.

_**Let's get these teen hearts beating. Faster, faster!**_

_Naomi's POV_

As Roxas and I came back from dinner, I could tell he was very tense. But after all, why wouldn't he be? The two love birds had left dinner 20 minutes before us. As I unlocked the door and walked in, _something_ seemed out of place. I'm really not sure what it was but it _may_ have been because Axel and Riena were freaking making-out on her bed! I, being the collected person that I was, just ignored them and went to my bed to start my homework. Roxas, on the other hand, just stayed put, feet glued to the floor, and wide blue eyes fixed on the couple. I sighed and shook my head. The poor boy was a lost cause! I walked over and poked him in the side and said, "Aww. Isn't that sooo cute?" Silence was my only response. "Roxas?" More silence. "Roxas??" Even _more_ silence. I waved my hand in front of his face and said, "ROXAS!!"

"Huh? What? Whaddaya want?" He asked, breaking out of his trance.

"Don't you think that's cute?"

"Yea, sure. Whatever."

"Or are you _jealous?_" I whispered.

"Wh-what are you talking about?! Where did you get _that_ idea??"

I felt like being mean to Riena, so I walked up to her and Axel and said in a really annoyed voice, "Didn't I stop you two from doing this last time?"

_Riena's POV_

I heard someone say something and realized that Axel and I were no longer alone in the room. "Didn't I stop you two from doing this last time?" It was Naomi's voice. _Shit…_ I thought. I detached from Axel and pulled the covers over my head. "I will disappear now!" I cried.

She reached over and pulled the covers off of me and said, "Looks like your little disappearing act didn't work."

"Eheheheh…sorry." I said, super embarrassed.

She shook her head and laughed. "S'okay. We're fine with it, right Roxas?"

"What? Oh, yea…" he said, looking away.

"What? You're not gonna kill me?" I asked.

"No…why would I?" Naomi asked.

"Well……cause you seemed to not want Axel and I to, y'know."

"Ohh. Well, it's fine now. You guys just do whatever you want. Just don't take her virginity, Axel."

"Darn. Ruin all my plans why don't you." Axel teased. "But I wouldn't do that. I know better."

"Sure you do."

I laughed. They pretended to hate each other, but Naomi and Axel had that friendly-hate thing going on.

"Hey, Naomi, Riena," Roxas said, "Can you two go somewhere?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Axel and I need to talk about some things," he replied.

"What kinda things?" Naomi asked.

"Guy stuff."

"Ok."

I bounded up from the bed and motioned for Naomi to follow. She walked over and opened the door, with me following behind her.

_Roxas' POV_

I waited until the door clicked shut, then turned to face Axel. "You have a lot of explaining to do." I told him bitterly.

"I know, I know," he said. "I didn't mean to take her from you."

"Well, you did." I crossed my arms. Yes, I know it's childish, but still! When I'm upset, that's how I get.

"Look, if I break up with her, will _that _make you happy?" he asked.

"No, 'cause then _she'll_ be upset. And if there's one thing I hate more than you taking her, it would be seeing her upset."

"You didn't seem too pissed when she got her heart broken by Marluxia."

_Riena's POV_

Naomi and I were out walking around the school gardens. I had told her that the gardens brought back bad memories. But nooooo. _She_ said I needed to, "get over my memories." Whatever.

As we walked along, Naomi tried to get me to talk, but I refused. Then, I saw it; that pink-brown hair that I would recognize anywhere. I yelped slightly and ducked behind her. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's him! He's stalking me!"

_Roxas' POV_

_Shit…_ I thought. "Wh-what are you talking about?" I asked.

"When she came back from Homecoming in tears." Axel replied. "You ignored her and _I_ went to comfort her."

"Well…I didn't want to see her like that. And I wouldn't know what to do!"

"Excuses, excuses. Why don't you just say that you didn't care?"

"I did, and still do, care!"

"Then why don't you do anything?"

"Because…" Why hadn't I done anything? Was I too busy being happy they were over to notice? "I don't know."

"Then try to get her mind off of it. She only wants to forget."

_Riena's POV_

When I looked out from behind Naomi, I saw him walking right toward us. _Not again!_ I thought to myself. But this time, he stopped by Naomi. "Hey Naomi." He said casually.

"Hello Marluxia." She replied, boredly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Here it comes…" I muttered.

Naomi snickered, and then said, "Sure."

"Would you go out with me?" he asked.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why?"

"No."

"Gimme a reason!"

"No."

"Think about it at least."

Naomi was silent for a few moments.

"Well?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon!"

She sighed irritatdedly and said, "What part of 'no' don't you get?"

"All of it!" He said angrily.

"Wow. You must be dumber than you look. And you already look dumb to begin with." Naomi and I laughed and high-fived. "C'mon." I said. "They should be done by now."

"Alright," she said, wiping away tears from laughing too much.

As we walked back, I quite literally almost ran into Roxas. "Whoa." I backed up and looked up. "Oh, hey Roxas." I said.

"Oh, hey," he replied.

Then I back-tracked. "Wait a sec, why aren't you with Axel?"

He shrugged. "I was sent to go get you guys."

"Well you got us," Naomi said. "Now let's go."

We walked back to the room in silence. Roxas was being strangely quiet, and seemed slightly spaced out. I was going to ask him is he was ok, but decided against it in case I just made things worse. The rest of the day was also pretty uneventful, and by the time we got back from dinner, everyone basically went straight to sleep.

_Axel's POV_

As soon as I was sure everyone else was asleep, I quietly crept out of bed. I _had_ to know what Riena was hiding under that wristband of her's. I tip-toed over to the side of her bunk. Fortunately for me, her bunk was on the bottom. She turned over in her sleep, and one arm dangled off the side of her bed. Luckily enough for me, I was the one with her wristband on it. _Score!_ I thought to myself. I reached out and in one swift motion, pulled off her wristband. I gently grabbed her wrist to see what she might have been hiding. Then I saw it.

Scars.

At least ten of them, slashed every which-way along the area that was covered by her wristband. I quickly put her wristband back on. I couldn't look; it was too…upsetting. I went back to bed and decided to talk to her about it tomorrow.

* * *

**Faded: dun dun dun!! Well, Axel finally knows what was under her wristband, but what's he going to do about it? I _could_ tell you, but that would just ruin it, wouldn't it? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Riane: And don't forget to review!**


	9. Thanks For the Memories

**Faded: Well, you asked for it, and here it is! Chapter 9!**

**Riane: Ye-ah!**

**Faded: Right...well, I hope y'all like it!**

**Riane: The Faded Guardian does not own any of the Kingdom Hearts characters or places mentioned here. She only owns her OC's. Doesn't that suck?**

**Faded: ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

_Riena's POV_

I walked down the hall back to the dorm. I had left study hall early with Axel; apparently he had wanted to talk to me about something. I had agreed, but hadn't really been paying attention either. Roxas had seemed up or depressed about something during breakfast, but he had said he was fine. "C'mon Ri," Axel called, holding the door open.

"Coming," I said, walking in.

He sat down on my bed and motioned for me to sit next to him. "Ri…" he sighed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I saw what you did."

_Aw shit! Did he find out about my…my cutting?_ I wondered. "W-what do you mean?"

"Riena, I've seen the scars from your cuts."

I dropped my gaze to the floor. "Oh…"

"Look, I really don't want you to do that to yourself." He placed a finger under my chin, and lifted it slightly so that my gaze back on him. "If it's really bothering you that much, just come talk to one of your friends, ok? That's what we're here for."

His emerald eyes were sincere, that much I could tell. So I nodded and said, "Okay…"

"Now promise me you won't do it anymore?"

"I promise."

"Good girl." He ruffled my hair playfully.

I giggled a bit but then said, "Now I have to say something." My tone was serious. This thing had been bugging me for quite some time and I needed to get it out of my system.

"What is it?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and said, "I think we should just be friends. I mean, I really like you, but it's just more of a 'big-brother' love. So I think it would be better if we were friends."

"Oh, that's all? It's ok," he told me. "I'm fine with that."

"So…friends?"

"Definitely."

I gave him a hug and in the back of my mind wondered what Naomi and Demyx could be up to.

_Naomi's POV_

As Demyx and I were studying together, I saw Riena and Axel leaving a bit early. _Hmm… wonder if Axel has found out about Riena's little secret yet…_

"You ok?" Demyx asked. "Cause we can reschedule our date tonight if you want."

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. I was just thinking about something Riena said to me one time," I said almost whispering.

_**Flashback**_

"Naomi, can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Riena.

"Sure." I followed her into our room. It was empty since Axel had forced Roxas to have an eating contest with him, and both were still at dinner. "So what's up Ri?" I asked.

"I…well…I, uhh…I'll just show you." With that, Riena took off her wristband—which she _never takes off mind you_—and carefully showed me her wrist. What I startled me. Along her wrist, I saw scars.

"You've been cutting yourself."

"Yeah," she said, looking at the ground.

"But…you do realize you are slowly killing yourself…right? And, I knew you were depressed, but I didn't know that you went this far.:

"Please…don't tell anyone." Her eyes shined pleadingly.

"I won't, but you have to show me what you used to…do this."

She sighed, relenting and nodded. Then she got up and asked this I would as well. I did as she wanted and she lifted up her mattress, grabbed something shiny, and handed it to me.

It was a compass.

_**End Flashback**_

"Demyx, I'm going to go and get ready for our date, kay?"

"Alright," he said. "I'll see you later."

I waved to him and walked back to the room.

_Riena's POV_

I heard the door open and saw Naomi walk in. "Hey lovers," she teased. "What's up?"

"Well, we are lovers no more!" I replied, striking a tragic pose.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Axel replied. "We're just friends now."

"Friends with benefits!" I added, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Then, the door opened a second time. This time though, it was Roxas. "Oi, what's up?" he asked.

"Ri and Axel broke up!" Naomi exclaimed.

"Really? That's too bad guys."

"Nah," I said. "We're better off as friends anyway."

"Okay. Just as long as Axel didn't upset you. 'Cause if head, well, let's just say he'd look different." Roxas said with a smirk.

"Hey! You can't beat on me, little buddy!" Axel told him.

"He can if Ri-chan says it's alright." Naomi said.

"Yep." I smirked. "Now, Naomi, let's find something for you to wear for your date."

"It's not a date! We're just hanging out!"

"Whatever. Now stand in front of me." I pulled out a pile of her clothes and tossed a couple of suitable outfits at her. "Try those on and we'll see how you look."

"Whatever," she said, going into the bathroom to change. About five minutes later, she came out again. "Ta-da," she said dryly.

I looked her up and down. "Hmm…nope. Try on the next one."

She rolled her eyes. "I feel like a five year old playing dress-up."

About 3 out-fit changes later, she came out in the perfect outfit. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "Yes, yes, yes, absolutely YES!"

"No!" she said. "Absolutely not! I am _not_ wearing a skirt!"

"Yes you are!" I shoved her out of the dorm and said, "Have fun!"

_Naomi's POV_

"Hey! Open up this door! Come on, Riena! At least give me my bag!" I cried, banging on the door.

She tossed out my messenger bag and said, "Get a move on! You're going to be late!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

I walked upstairs to Demyx's dorm and knocked. "Come in," I heard him say.

"Hey." I felt kind of awkward being in a room that also belonged to Zexion.

"Welcome to my humble abode. Zexion's at the library," he said, probably seeing me looking at Zexion's stuff. "So what do you want to do?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Talk?"

"Ok. Did you know I play guitar?"

"No way," I said, pretending to be interested.

"Yeah. I kinda taught myself."

"Cool."

"Do you want me to play a song?"

"Sure. Why not." He started playing some song on his blue guitar. I pretended to listen and inspected the room some more. Demyx's side of the room was quite…different. Oh what the hell, it was just plain WEIRD. He had a couple lava lamps and these funky designs all over the wall. I got kinda freaked out so I looked to Zexion's side. His was at least somewhat normal. He had a desk that was _extremely_ organized. He also had a black bedspread and posters of "My Chemical Romance" and other bands that I never even heard of. I could tell he was a bit of a neat freak because everything seemed to be placed just so. "Hey, hello? Is anyone home?" I heard Demyx ask me. I looked at him blankly and then noticed he had finished playing. "Well…?"

"Oh. It was very good. I liked it." I lied.

"Thanks!" Oh my god, did he actually believe me? I am the worst liar in the world, I swear. He played some more I was starting to get really bored. If something didn't happen soon I thought I might combust. Then, the next thing I knew, Demyx was moving closer. His eyes slid shut and, well…I started freaking out!

"Wait! Stop!" I cried. "I don't like you! I like Zexion!"

He stopped. "Whoa, wait…what? You like Zexion?"

"Yeah."

"Then why the hell did you say yes when I asked you out??"

"You looked so pathetically cute, I could help but say yes!"

"You shallow bitch!"

I deadpanned. "What did you just call me?"

"You heard me," he answered almost snidely.

"That is fucking it!" The next thing I knew, my fist made contact with his face. "My bad." I said, not exactly meaning it. All of a sudden, the door swung open and Zexion walked in. He looked at Demyx lying on the floor and then at me. "Good night." I said and walked out like I was on top of the world.

_Riena's POV_

Axel, Roxas, and I had been hanging out waiting for Naomi to come back. Finally, I heard banging on the door and Naomi yelling, "Let me in! I don't have my key!!"

"Should I let her in?" I asked the two boys.

"Nah. Leave her out there and let her think we left." Roxas said.

"I'll leave her out there for about five minutes." I said. I didn't want to get beat up, after all.

"Fine with me."

"OPEN UP THIS DOOR!!" Naomi yelled. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

"La di da di da…" I sang to myself, ignoring the pounding on the door.

"GOD DAMMIT RIENA! OPEN UP!!"

"Ok guys, just pretend like we were watching TV or something." I told Axel and Roxas. They nodded and Axel laid on the floor and Roxas switched the TV on. "Ok, all set?" I asked.

"Yep." Axel replied, giving me a thumbs-up.

"Kay." I got up and finally let her in. "Do you have to be so loud? We were watching TV." I lied.

"Sure you were," she said, rolling her eyes.

"So what happened?" Axel asked eagerly. I swear, sometimes he's as much of a gossip-whore as Kairi and Naminè.

"Well…Demyxkindapissedmeoff,andIpunchedhimintheface,and…I met Zexion…" she sighed dreamily as she said Zexion's name.

"You liiiiiiike him!" I teased.

"So? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Maybe I'll tell him…"

"No! Oh god! Please don't!"

"Fine."

Sure, I wouldn't tell him, but if I knew Demyx's reputation, Naomi's secret wasn't safe for much longer.

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**Faded: Well, that's the end of it. Is it too cliffy? I'm sorry! Don't send evil ninja monkeys after me! -hides in a pillow fort-**

**Riane: Review and I'll make sure the next chapter is up soon!**


	10. Can't Stop Falling in Love

**Faded: OMGWHUT! It's an update! Everyone paaaaaaaaartay!**

**Riane: ...**

**Faded: What?**

**Riane: You're nuts. Just thought you should know.**

**Faded: Why thank you!**

**Riane: Right.**

**Faded: And now, the long awaited chapter 10!**

**Riane: The Faded Guardian does not own any of the Kingdom Hearts characters or anything else mentioned here that aren't OCs. KTHXBYE.**

* * *

_Demyx's POV_

I slowly got up off the floor massaging my still throbbing jaw. "Do I want to know what happened?" Zexion asked, his tone bordering on the edge of amusement.

"I called Naomi a shallow bitch and she punched me." I replied, as my jaw gave another painful throb.

"Ha. You got punched by a chick? That's good," he said, dropping his things on his bunk.

"Heeey!! That's not cool, Zexion. Not cool." I told him, frowning slightly.

"So, why'd you call her a shallow bitch?" Zexion asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…" I sighed, "She went out with me 'cause she felt sorry for me and that she likes you instead of me. And that kinda ruined my day."

"Oh. Well that sounded like a fun date," he said completely uninterested.

I smirked slightly, but didn't say anything. I knew better than anyone that he liked her. Not that he knew that I knew, but whatever. "Well, I'm gonna get something for my dying eye. Laters." I said. He only nodded, already planning…something.

_Naomi's POV_

The next day in study hall, I was messing around as usual, but it was also to get my mind off of punching Demyx. Now that I thought about it he didn't _really_ deserve it. Then all of a sudden, Riena said, "Don't look now, but Sexy Zexy is coming our way."

"Why do you insist on calling him that?" I asked, exasperated.

"Because it bugs you and it's true. Oh, hey Se—I mean, Zexion." She said.

"Hey," he said, ignoring what she almost called him. "Naomi, can I talk to you in private please?"

"Ooooooh!!" Said the portion of the class that heard him; which was basically everyone. I felt my face turning red as I said, "S-sure. Be right back guys…" I got up and followed Zexion to the back of the library, slightly scared that he was going to yell at me for beating up his friend.

"I was wondering if you would…um…like to maybe…go out with me…tomorrow?" He asked, tripping over his words. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard correctly. Zexion Tenashi stuttered; he stammered, sputtered and any other word you can use to describe talking that way.

"Really?" I asked. "You mean it? Demyx didn't put you up to this???"

"What? No! I really like you and want to go out with you!" he told me.

I searched his face for any sign of deceit, but found none. "Okay then, what time?"

"How's seven?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"Fine with me."

We walked back to the study area hand-in-hand. I felt like I was queen of the world; and I was dancing in my head.

_Riena's POV_

"Ri. Hey, Ri?"

"Yes, Roxas?" I asked, looking up from my work.

"Well, I, uh…" Before he could finish, Axel cut him off saying, "Look! Here comes Naomi…with Zexion!"

"Hey Mi-chan!" I said, waving her over. "So…what happened?!?!"

She sighed, keeping her eyes on the ground. "Well…" she began, almost sadly, "ZEXION ASKED ME OUT!!!" Her yelling earned her a 'Shh!' from our study hall teacher. She lowered her voice and said, "He asked me out!!"

"No way! I so didn't see that coming!" I said, mocking her slightly. What? It's not like it wasn't true. I knew it was only a matter of time before he asked; and I knew she was glad that she hadn't been asked by a nerd…or Marluxia.

***

_The Next Day…_

Argh!! I swear, if Naomi doesn't stop talking about Zexion, I am going to RIP OUT HER VOCAL CHORDS!!! I mean, I'm glad she got asked out and all, but seriously! She needs to give it a rest once in awhile. Oh well, it's not like I can blame her for being in love.

"Miss Takashi!"

My teacher's voice snapped me out of my trance. "Yes, Professor Vexen?" I asked politely.

"Would you answer the question?"

"What question…?" I heard Naomi, who was sitting a few seats away, snicker at me. I glared at her, but then she did the 'helpful-friend' thing, and nodded at the board where a question was written out. "Ohh! You mean the one on the board? Umm…the answer is…" I did some quick calculations in my head and answered, "28?"

He nodded. "I'm glad to see you're paying attention, Miss Takashi."

Today was really not my day. I nearly got a detention for falling asleep in the middle of a lecture. I think it was because I was thinking about a dream where…Roxas said he loved me. Except, I'm not sure if it was a dream or not; or maybe I just need to get more sleep. Yea, that's probably it. Well, at least my bad day is almost over. I knew there was a reason I loved study hall…

_Naomi's POV_

I was so bored in study hall…again. Zexion wasn't around, so I had to look for something to do. Then, I saw something that caught my interest. "Hey, look! Riena fell asleep!" I said, bringing this to the attention of the others.

"Hey, let's draw on her face!" Axel said, laughing.

"No, let's not." Roxas said, looking desperate.

"I know exactly what to do." I told them with a smirk, as I reached for my 'Boredom Bag.'

"What? Pour water on her?" Axel guessed.

"No, don't do that! Let's not do anything and say we did." Roxas was trying anything to keep us from doing something to Riena.

"It's just something I learned in chemistry at my old school." I pulled out a plastic baggy with a water bottle, a feather, and rock salt (which was in a separate baggy inside the other one). I grabbed a tissue from my bag and wet it, and then started wetting Riena's face.

"What exactly are you doing?" Roxas asked, as I finished with the water and started putting rock salt in one of her hands.

"Well, the reaction between the water and rock salt causes the skin to sting." I explained. "I think you can figure out the rest."

"Stop right now. You really shouldn't do that. What if it has a permanent effect? What if it burns through her skin?!" Roxas sounded exasperated to keep his precious Riena from being hurt, but it was too late. I had already started to tickle her face with the feather. "Nothing will happen to her. We'll all get a laugh…well…except for Riena…and probably Roxas."

"Well…I might laugh. Who ever said that I wouldn't? It could be funny…" Roxas was hilarious, I knew he wasn't happy with this and almost woke Riena up with my laughing. Riena's hands finally made contact with her face, and as her hands touched the skin I heard a little 'hssss' sound. _Yes! Haha, perfection!_ I thought to myself.

"AUGH!" Riena yelled as the salt stung her face.

"Isn't it, like, the best facial ever?" I asked between laughs. I looked over at Roxas and saw him scowling at me.

"You ass! This crap hurts!! Why the hell did you do that?" Riena screamed at me.

"You fell asleep; and I believe that if you fall asleep before nightfall, then you must be punished." I stated simply.

"You bitch! What the hell is wrong with you!?" She yelled at me before stalking off. I looked around and saw Roxas walk out after her.

"What? You all laughed," I said defensively. _Hypocrites…_ I thought to myself. I rolled my eyes and headed to our dorm with Zexion, thinking Riena would be there and I could apologize. Unfortunately when we got there, Riena and Roxas hadn't gotten back yet, so it was just myself and Zexion…in my room…_alone_.

"Sooooooo…!" I said, extremely nervous because of the atmosphere. Before Zexion could respond, there was a loud _RINNNNNNNGGGG _from my cell phone. "Sonnuva bitch!" I screeched when I saw the caller ID.

"What?" Zexion asked, slightly startled by my screech. He looked over my shoulder at the phone in my hand. "You must really hate your family to make their ID 'The Fucking Family,' huh?"

"Hmm…I wonder!" I was so pissed, but turned on a sweet and innocent attitude as I answered the phone. "Hi Daddy! What's up?"

"YOU ARE COMING HOME THIS INSTANT! YOU'RE GRADES ARE WORSE THAN EVER AND NOTHING IS GETTING DONE HERE!" my dad yelled through the phone.

"But, Daddy, it's not my fault if nothing's getting done at home," I told him. "And my grades aren't bad, they're getting way better! Please, please, pleeeeease let me stay Daddy! I like it here! I've made a lot of friends and I have a boyfriend!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!?!?!?"

"I said I have a ton of friends and boy who's my friend."

"Is that what you think of me?" Zexion asked quietly.

"No, no, no!" I whispered, giving him a quick kiss with my hand over the receiver. "Of course not!" He smiled slightly and nodded, and I turned my attention back to the phone.

"You were saying, Daddy?"

"Well…I guess you can stay," my dad finally said. "Just behave."

"Thanks Dad! Bye!" I said before I hung up. I turned to Zexion and gave him a huge hug. "I'm so sorry, Zexion! I had to say that to my dad. He's super strict and stuff…doesn't really want me dating. But, you are so worth rebelling for," I told him. Even after saying that, I still felt terrible about what I said about Zexion, and I really wanted to make up for it. I thought and thought…for a few minutes at least…and came up with the perfect plan. And right when I was about to start, Axel walked in.

That jerkface.

"You have the worst timing, Axel." I said.

"My bad," he replied, not seeming to care. "Want me to leave?"

"Don't bother," I sighed. "You ruined it anyway."

"Well, in that case, the rest of us are going down to eat. Care to join us, or do you need you _alone time_ with Zexion?"

Zexion rolled his eyes, and I said, "We'll be down in a minute…jerk."

_Riena's POV_

Argh! Why does it always seem like I'm out of the loop? Roxas always seems like he needs to tell me something, but every time I ask, he says it's nothing. "Are you gonna eat that?" Axel asked, pointing to the rest of my dinner.

"Yes!" I replied, smacking his hand away and pulling my plate closer to myself. "Go get your own, if you're still hungry."

"Fine, I will."

"Good." I turned to Naomi and Zexion. "So, any idea what you two are gonna do tonight?"

Naomi shrugged. "Maybe Club Oblivion, but we don't have a ride or any money, so we'll probably just stay here and hang out."

"Did I hear one of you say Club Oblivion?" A girl about mine and Naomi's age had just come up to our table.

_Whoa…déjà vu, much?_ "Yea," I answered. "Why?"

"Well, if a bunch of you are going, I might be able to pull a few strings and get you in for free."

My jaw dropped. "Really?" If she says yes, this girl is going to be my best friend…like ever.

"Yea. I'll just have to call my boss and talk to him about getting you guys in."

"Awesome! So, you have a name?"

"Arisa Nakamura," she said with a smile.

"I'm Riena," I told her. "The guy who just got back from getting more food is Axel; this is Roxas, Naomi, and Zexion."

"Cool. Lemme call up my boss and see if I can get you guys in." She pulled out a black Motorola and dialed her boss' number. "Hello? …Yeah, hey. I was wondering if— no…I was gonna ask if I could get a few people in tonight…There's five of them…Duh I'm going to work…Well then just make two trips, I don't care! …Uh-huh…Great, whatever…Okay, see ya in 10."

"So is everything set?" Naomi asked eagerly.

"Yep. You guys ready?" Arisa asked.

"You bet we are." I answered.

"Good, we have to go out front and wait for him."

After about ten or fifteen minutes of waiting, there was a _whoosh_ of air as a car pulled in. When I saw the source of the whooshing air, I just about died. "No. Fucking. Way. You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"What?" Arisa asked, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me your boss was Reno?!"

"Umm…oops?"

Reno hopped out of his car and said, "Well, well, look who it is!" I made a face at him, to which he only smirked. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Axel's older brother Reno, and I shall be driving you to Club Oblivion tonight." He glanced around then added, "But I'll have to make two trips. And no offense to those who don't get the first ride. You're still cool."

"Reno, just shut up and drive." Arisa told him, getting into the car.

"Yes ma'am."

I sighed and shook my head. Tonight was going to be, if anything, verrrry interesting.

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**Faded: Yay! What's gonna happen next? Who knows! Oh wait...I do! Hah!**

**Riane: Don't be bitchy. They won't review if you're mean.**

**Faded: Fine...here's a little hint: Reno's reappearance signals that he's gonna be causing some trouble again, so stay tuned!**

**Riane: And review. She'll give out free charrie hugs if you do.**


	11. Reno's Back, Baby!

**Faded: Gah! It's been ages since I've updated huh?**

**Riane: You got that right.**

**Faded: Well, here's the 11th chapter of How I Survived Boarding School! Enjoy!**

**Riane: The Faded Guardian does not own Kingdom Hearts or any related characters in any way shape or form as much as she wishes otherwise. She also doesn't own the characters Naomi and Arisa. They belong to her friends Sami and Angel respectively.**

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_Naomi's POV_

Once we arrived at the club, I finally had a chance to ask Riena who the red-headed dude (not Axel) was. "Oh, him? He's…well let's just say he's related to Axel…" she told me.

"Ah. Say no more," I said, nodding.

"No problem. Now go hang out with your boyfriend or something," she told me.

"It's out first date. So technically, he isn't my boyfriend…yet."

"Whatever. Just go to your Sexy Zexy."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Don't. Call. Him. That."

"Fiiiiine. Just go hang out with him."

"Ok, I will. Just make sure you hang out with Roxas a bit," Muahahaha, fear the match making skills of your friend, Riena. FEAR IT!

"Um…ok. Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Yes ma'am," she said sarcastically, before walking off.

I looked around for Zexion, and walked over to him when I spotted him. "Hey," I said, giving him a hug. "Whatcha want to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like dancing, so why don't we just sit somewhere and talk?"

"Fine with me."

We walked over to the "bar" area and sat down, talking, as we waited for someone to notice us so we could order drinks.

"Hey Naomi."

I winced. Riena had warned me earlier that I would need to watch out for him. I closed my eyes and said, "Yes, Reno?"

He leaned across the counter and asked, "So what would you like, cutie?"

I opened my eyes and glared at him. "Don't call me that."

"Why? It's not like you taken."

"Actually, she is," Zexion told him, placing a hand on my shoulder. I stuck my tongue out at him childishly and sat in Zexion's lap.

"Damn…I was sure I was gonna get a girl tonight. You really broke my heart Naomi," Reno told me, being all dramatic.

I rolled my eyes. "Two cokes please."

He scoffed and gave us the drinks. He plastered on a fake smile and said, "Have a nice night."

I smiled sweetly and grabbed the drinks and Zexion heading–well…away from _him_ at least.

_Riena's POV_

"Hi Roxas!" I said, popping up next to him.

He jumped slightly. "Oh…hey Riena. What's up?"

"Wanna dance?"

Apparently, this question caught him completely off guard, because his eyes grew huge when he replied. "U-uh…sure…"

"'Kay!" I took his hand and dragged him to the dance floor. As we danced, I caught sight of Naomi watching us from one of the tables, a smug smile on her face. I rolled my eyes at her. Not because she was acting so full of herself, but because she was freaking sitting in Zexion's lap. _'Not my boyfriend my ass,'_ I thought to myself.

_Naomi's POV_

'_Wow. Zexion's lap is veeeeeery comfortable,'_ I thought to myself as I leaned back onto his chest. "You know, your lap is very comfy," I told him quietly.

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" he whispered back, sending shivers down my spine.

"That depends on how you want to take it," I replied, closing my eyes in bliss.

Then, he did something very…un-Zexion like. He started stroking my hair lightly, making me relax even more. I think I could have turned into a puddle of goo at that point; I was that happy. As one of my favorite songs started playing, I opened my eyes and lifted my head up to listen. Seeing me lift my head, Zexion took my hand and lead me to the dance floor.

_A weight is lifted  
On this evening  
I give the final blow._

When darkness turns to light,  
It ends tonight  
It ends tonight.

I swayed in time to the music, and sensed Zexion come up behind me. However, instead of wrapping his arms around my waist as I expected him to, he turned me around and danced with me in perfect time to the music. As the song ended I looked up at my wonderful, amazing _boyfriend_.

He slipped his arms around my waist and held me close. My eyes slid shut and I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing in contentment. One of his hands moved from my waist and brushed some of the hair out of my face and lifted my chin up. I felt his breath ghost over my cheek, and…

Amazing.

_Riena's POV_

"Aww! Look at them Roxas!" I exclaimed, leaning on his shoulder. "Aren't they adorable?"

"Um…yeah," Roxas replied, looking at his feet. "Sure."

I glanced at one of the clocks over the bar; almost nine in the evening. "We need to get going before we get a detention," I told him, nodding at the clock. I grabbed his arm and walked over to Naomi and Zexion, who were still in their own little world.

"Are you really gonna ruin their little moment?" Roxas asked.

"Of course!" I answered with a smile. "It's my job as a best friend to butt in at unwanted times." I poked Naomi in her side and told her, "Get your lover so we can get going."

She pouted and whined, "You're so mean, Ri!"

"I know, now let's find Arisa and Axel. We need to leave."

Naomi mumbled something under her breath that I didn't hear as she walked off. A few minutes later, she returned with Axel and Arisa following her. "Let's go," she said, still clearly mad that I had interrupted her moment with Zexion. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her. She's so pissy sometimes.

The six of us made it back to the school with barely ten minutes to spare. We walked through the front entrance and were met with a terrible sight. It was the principal, Mr. Xemnas. He gave us the evil eye and said, "Detention. My office. Tomorrow."

"But Mr. Xemnas, I was working!" Arisa cried.

"I know that, Miss Nakamura. You are excused from detention."

She gave us a smug smile and said, "Yes! Thanks Mr. Xemnas!"

"As for you five," Mr. Xemnas continued. "I expect you in my office right after classes are over tomorrow."

"But we still had ten minutes when we came we came in!" Naomi cried.

"No you didn't. I made an announcement earlier this week that the curfew was moved up to 9:15, or did you miss that the same way you missed your fifth period the other day?"

Naomi's face turned red from embarrassment; apparently the principal _did_ know everything…

"Oh yeah…I remember that…" I said, more to myself, recalling the day (I had a history that day).

They all glared at me. "Then why didn't you tell us?" Zexion asked, masking his anger with coolness.

"I, uh…forgot?"

"Suuuuure ya did," Axel responded, rolling his eyes and sighing.

"Leave her alone, guys," Roxas said. "Let's just do the detention and get it over with."

"Good," Mr. Xemnas said. He handed us the dreaded pink detention slips. "Axel, I'm sure you'll be able to walk them through the procedures, so I'll leave that up to you."

"Yes sir…" Axel mumbled, looking away.

As the principal walked off, I turned to Axel and asked, "So, how many detentions _have _you had?"

He shrugged. "Let's just say I don't have enough fingers to count them on."

We laughed and made our way back to the dorms. As it turned out, Arisa was in the same dorm as Demyx and Zexion. So when we reached our dorm, they went their own way and left.

Having nothing better to do, I pulled out my laptop and did what I always do when I'm bored…instant messaging!

**ShadowAngel: YOOOO!!! SORAAAAA!**

**SoratheSky: :p go way. Sora's depressed :iconemo:**

**ShadowAngel: wtf? no ur not. stop lying…**

**SoratheSky: but…I'm not lying D:**

**ShadowAngel: ooookaaaaaaay…so why ya depressed?**

**SoratheSky: remember kairi?**

**ShadowAngel: mm-hmm**

**SoratheSky: she broke up w/ me :iconcry:**

**ShadowAngel: D: :iconhug: I'm sorry! She doesn't deserve you :iconnodding:**

**SoratheSky: d'awww. Thanks :)**

**ShadowAngel: :D yay! Ya smiled! :iconretard: lol**

**SoratheSky: haha…ur a dork**

**ShadowAngel: yeah, but u know ya luff me**

**SoratheSky: …yea…sure…-shifty eyes-**

**ShadowAngel: HEY!!!!**

**SoratheSky: jk, jk. any-a-ways, mom's yelling at me to get my butt off the comp. and go to bed :iconeww: **

**ShadowAngel: :iconwhyyy: okies. be strong! kairi's not worth crying over :iconheart:**

**SoratheSky: :) ok. i'll try. ttfn!**

**-SoratheSky has logged off-**

"Anyone else want to use my computer before I put it away?" I asked.

Naomi nearly jumped on me and said, "Yeah! I need to check something Zexion told me about."

"Okay. Just let me know when you're done."

"Alright."

_Naomi's POV_

As soon as Riena gave me her laptop, I ran and jumped onto my bed, with my back facing the wall so that the nosy people (-cough-Axel-cough-) wouldn't be able to see what I was doing.

On our way back, Zexion had told about the chat rooms that were available to anyone with an internet connection in the school, and how to use them. I set up my user account and all that other fun stuff, and when I was done, I typed in Zexion's username and clicked the little "chat" button.

**-UnzariShiteiru has joined the chat-**

**-CloakedSchemer has joined the chat-**

**UnzariShiteiru: Hello Zexion!**

**CloakedSchemer: Hey. I see you got it to work.**

**UnzariShiteiru: Yep :iconyay:**

**CloakedSchemer: Hn.**

**UnzariShiteiru: Let me guess…Demyx is bugging you.**

**CloakedSchemer: You're about half right.**

**UnzariShiteiru: umm…**_**Arisa**_ **and Demyx?**

**CloakedSchemer: You got it.**

**UnzariShiteiru: Yay! So…**

**CloakedSchemer: so…what?**

**UnzariShiteiru: What's my prize?**

**CloakedSchemer: …**

**UnzariShiteiru: BE NICE!**

**CloakedSchemer: umm…I don't know…what do you want?**

**UnzariShiteiru: A friend that isn't so mean. :icongimme:**

**CloakedSchemer: I mean something I can buy you.**

**UnzariShiteiru: Fine…I wanna dye my black.**

**CloakedSchemer: why? It looks fine the way it is…**

**UnzariShiteiru: Cause I can! That's why! :iconroar:**

**CloakedSchemer: We'll talk tomorrow. I gotta go.**

**UnzariShiteiru: okaez. Bye.**

**-CloakedSchemer has left the chat-**

I shut down the website and Riena's laptop. After I had done that, I realized I had no clue where I was supposed to put the damn thing, so I decided I had to wake up Riena.

"Hey, hey…wake up," I said, poking her repeatedly.

"Mmmph…what?" she asked turning over to face me.

"Where do I put this thing?" I asked, holding the laptop in front of her face.

She pointed towards the dresser and fell back onto her bunk. I walked over and set it on top of the dresser and muttered, "Jeez…someone needs their sleep."

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**Faded: Yeah, yeah, I know. The end was kinda pointless.**

**Riane: Noooo really?**

**Faded: Shut your face. Anyways, hope you liked it :) and don't forget to review!**

**Riane: All reviewers recieve a date with a KH character of their choice.**


	12. It Won't Be Long

**Faded: yay! chapter 12! -dances-**

**Riane: about time, eh?**

**Faded: oh shut up. anyways, i warn all readers of more stupidity and sillyness :)**

**Riane: TFG does not own KH or any related characters, she only owns her OC Riena. Arisa and Naomi belong to Mad Hatter Fallon and Naomi Nagasaki (aka, Angel and Sami)**

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_Roxas' POV_

I sat in study hall, fiddling with a folded up piece of paper. _'Should I, or shouldn't I?'_ I wondered to myself. Now you're probably wondering what the paper is, right? Well, it's a note, you nosy little jerks. I wrote it for Riena a while back. _Yes_ it's a love note—and don't even start on me, people—but I have to tell her some way. And I'm not going to just come out and tell her, I'm way, way, _way_ too shy to say anything.

"Stop fiddling with it!" Axel hissed.

Yeah, Axel knows about it too. He actually helped me write some of it, and he changed some of the contents of it as well. Actually, it's been edited so many times by Axel and I, that it's barely readable anymore. I've also messed with it a whole lot, like folding and refolding it, so I'm sure you can imagine the sad shape it's in.

I continued playing with the note until Axel kicked me in the shin. "Stop messing with it!" he hissed even louder.

"Shut up!" I told him through gritted teeth. "She'll hear you!"

"Hey, Roxas, what's that paper?" I felt myself stiffen up. Of course it was Riena speaking.

"N-nothing…" I replied nervously.

"Aww…c'mon," Axel coaxed. "Just show her."

I glared at him and kicked him under the table. "_**No.**_"

_Riena's POV_

I shrugged to myself and returned to working on my homework. "What do you think it is?" I asked Naomi and Arisa.

"I know what it is," Naomi replied, with a knowing smirk. Arisa leaned over and whispered something to her, and got an eager nod from Naomi.

"I knew it!" Arisa exclaimed.

"What?" I demanded. "What did you know?!?!"

"We can't tell you," Naomi taunted.

"Pleeeeease?" I begged, fully aware of retarded I probably looked.

"Hehe…nope!" Arisa answered with a smirk.

"Fine."

I tried getting my work done, but it was really hard to do that, considering Naomi and Arisa kept whispering back and forth and laughing about lord knows what. However, I can say that I was definitely glad when the bell finally rang. I gathered my things and headed out of the classroom. I heard Naomi and Arisa yell for me to stop and wait for them—which I did, even thought I really, _really_ didn't want to. When they finally caught up, Axel, Roxas, and Demyx were headed outside. "Hey, let's go bug the guys," I proposed. "It's not like we have anything else to do. And plus when they just go off like that, you know they're up to something." The two of them nodded in agreement, the three of us walking out of the building.

I approached Axel and poked him in the ribs (or lack thereof) and asked, "Whatcha guys up to?"

"Nothing…?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm so sure."

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Ri-chan?"

"Pfft…no." Then I stopped. _'Do I have to be somewhere?'_ And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. We _did_ have to be somewhere! "Oh, shit! Actually, we _do_ have to be somewhere!"

Axel cocked his head. "We?"

I nodded. "Uh-huh! Remember, we have to do freaking detention!"

Axel let out a groan of frustration. "SHIT! You're right!" He grabbed Roxas by the wrist and started dragging him toward the administration building. He glanced back, seeing Naomi and I walking behind them. "Come ON!" he yelled. We tried not to laugh as we ran to catch up with them.

"See ya later!" Arisa and Demyx called just before we were out of earshot.

When we reached the admin building, Naomi was the first to notice Zexion leaning casually against the door, reading one of his many books. "Hi, Zexion," she greeted, giving him a quick hug.

He nodded in response. "I thought you guys forgot," he commented, a small smirk on his face.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, you—" He was cut off by Naomi punching him in the arm. "Ow!"

I shook my head at them. "Shall we?" I asked, gesturing to the door. They nodded, and I opened the door. We walked down to Mr. Xemnas' office, and were greeted with a less than happy principal.

"You're late."

I saw Axel wince slightly at his tone of voice. "We know, we know…" Axel sighed. "Please just don't give us another detention."

Mr. Xemnas looked vaguely amused by what Axel had said. "Alright then. Instead of staying until three-thirty, you'll all stay until four."

"Whaaaaaat?" Naomi whined. "Four?!"

"Unless you'd like to stay longer, Miss Nagasaki?" Mr. Xemnas asked.

"No thanks…" she answered, looking away.

"That's what I thought. Axel will tell you what to do, and I'll be back at four," Mr. Xemnas told us.

"Okay," I said. The principal walked out of his office leaving the five of us to do…whatever it was that we had to do.

"Ok, first things first," Axel said, immediately taking charge. "We need a couple people to clean up the office and a couple people to sort his papers. I'll do anything else that needs to done. Sooo…who wants to do anything that I just mentioned?"

"I'll clean up the office," I volunteered.

"I'll help you, if that's alright with you…" Roxas said.

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks!"

"Okay," Axel said. "So that means that Naomi and Zexion get to sort out the papers. Faculty stuff goes in the black tray, school stuff in the white tray, administration stuff in the tan tray, and anything else in the clear tray."

"Um…kay, Axel." Naomi said uncertainly, turning around and leading Zexion to Mr. Xemnas' desk. Roxas and I began putting away some of the principal's folders, unless Axel yelled at us saying to leave one of them alone. Once in a while our hands would brush against each other, and I swear, _every time_ I saw Roxas turn slightly red. But hell, it was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me. Damn these eyes and their trickiness!

Nothing particularly exciting happened until about halfway through when I saw something fall out of Roxas' pocket. I glanced at him quickly to make sure he wasn't looking and picked it up. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be some kind of note, and believe me, this thing was in terrible shape. The paper had gone soft from being folded up a million and one times and it was all marked up. I slipped it into my pocket and decided not to tell Roxas about it until _after_ I read it.

"Ahhh! No!" Axel's voice cut into my thoughts about the note. "That's faculty! White tray! White-fucking-tray!!!"

Naomi stuck her tongue out at him. "Sor-ry. But how am I supposed to remember where to put everything?"

He glared at her, sending out obvious waves of hate. "If Mr. Xemnas finds anything wrong, then we're gonna get another detention!" he snapped. "And I could do without anymore marks on my record!"

I sat in Mr. Xemnas' chair and looked up at Axel. "Do you even remember how many detentions you've had in your entire high school career?"

"I stopped counting," he replied nonchalantly.

I laughed slightly at this and Naomi said, "Wow Axel. You really suck at life, don't you?"

I did a cursory glance around the office as I spun around Mr. Xemnas' extremely comfy spinning chair. "I think we're done, Roxas," I told him.

He nodded. "Mmkay. I think so too."

"Wonderful," I sighed. "Now what?"

"You can help dumb and dumber sort the papers," Axel answered, not looking up from what he was doing.

"I am not dumb!" Naomi said, taking a pen from the desk and throwing it at Axel. "And neither is Zexion."

"Pick up that pen," was all Axel said.

"What about me…?" Zexion asked, having missed part of the conversation.

"Nothing…I was just throwing things at Axel, cause he called us dumb," Naomi told him.

Zexion shrugged. "Whatever. We're done anyways."

"WHAT?! But the papers are a fucking mess!" Axel screamed.

"Uh…no there not," Zexion told him, stepping aside to reveal the papers properly organized and in the correct tray.

"Fine. That better be in order, Zexion," Axel growled. Zexion only rolled his eyes and sat in on of the chairs across from where I sat and started reading his book again. I glanced at the clock; it was no where near time to go. _'Might as well make use of the rest of the time,'_ I thought to myself, curling up in one of the cushy chairs. Not five minutes later, I was being shaken out of my nap.

"Riena…Riena… pst…wake up," Naomi was whispering.

"Mmph…goway…" I mumbled, turning away from her.

"But, Mr. Xemnas left his computer on."

"Are you serious?!" I jolted out of my nap and jumped up. "Well what are we doing sitting around? Let's do this thing!"

We (attempted) to walk nonchalantly toward the computer, trying to make sure Axel didn't notice, but since Naomi is a bad luck magnet…he did. "And what do you two think you're doing?" he asked, clearly unamused.

"We were gonna go mess around on Mr. Xemnas' com—" Naomi started. "Uh…I mean…oops?"

A slightly sarcastic smile came onto Axel's face. "If you want another detention, that's fine with me," he said.

"What if we fixed your grades?" I asked, hoping he would buy it.

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Tempting, but no. Sorry."

"Then what are we supposed to do? I'm freakin' BORED!" Naomi complained.

I shrugged at her. "I know I'm gonna take a nap," I told her. "Wake me up before he gets back."

_Roxas' POV_

'_She's so peaceful when she's sleeping,'_ I thought to myself. I smiled a bit and felt someone elbow my side. "Why don't you take a picture?" Naomi asked, smirking. "It'll last longer."

"Waaaay ahead of ya," Axel had his cell out and poised to snap a picture.

"Dude! You're sick!" Naomi exclaimed. "I was being sarcastic, dumbass. What were you gonna do with it? Post it on something like Craigslist or something?!"

I laughed. "Nah, he'd probably end up selling for 50 bucks on eBay."

"But if someone worse than Axel got a hold of it, then, then…" Naomi shivered. "Ugh! I don't even want to _think_ about that!!"

"Oh come on! I was joking! What makes you think I'd do that to our innocent little Ri-chan?"

"Cause you're sick," Naomi and I said at the same time.

He opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by someone laughing. "Who was that?" Axel asked, looking around.

"It's Riena," Zexion replied, not looking up from the book he was reading earlier.

"What's so funny, Ri?" I asked quietly, trying not to wake her.

"Marluxia…" she muttered. "Face plant…heheh…" She turned over and huddled against the chair. She sighed, a serene smile gracing her features. It was way too tempting to kiss her right then and there. I bit my lip and forced myself to look away. Then Axel told us it was already 5 till and that someone should wake up Riena.

Before I could even say anything, Naomi was already yelling in her ear, "WAKE UP!!!"

_Riena's POV_

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I covered my ears. "I DIDN'T DO—!" I looked over and saw Naomi, Zexion, Roxas, and Axel all giving we slightly weirded out looks.

"I think you broke her," Axel said to Naomi.

"Ah, crap…" Then, thinking it would "fix" me, she screamed, "I'M SORRY, RI!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK YOU!!!"

"Naomi… shut the fuck up," I said calmly. "I'm not broken so there's no need to… FUCKING SCREAM IN MY EAR!"

"Hehe…oops…"

Not a minute later, Mr. Xemnas walked into the office. He walked around and did what I assumed was a post-cleaning inspection. We were all practically holding our breath, waiting for what he would say. "Well…you guys could do better," he started. I heard myself let out a little squeak. _'I don't want another detention!'_ "But I can't say I expected much better from a group of teenagers. You guys can go."

"Thank you Mr. Xemnas!" the five of us said in unison.

He just nodded and said, "Now leave before I change my mind." There were a few mumbled "ok"s as we scrambled out the door.

As Axel, Naomi, Roxas, and I reached our dorm, I remembered the note I had tucked away in my pocket…. And something else. "I just realized something. Tomorrow's the start of winter break!" I exclaimed. "And you know what that means…"

"Presents!" Naomi said, pumping her fist in the air.

"No, stupid," Axel said, hitting her in the back of the head. "It means no classes for a month!"

"Got that right!" I said. "But guys, I have just one favor to ask."

"What is it?" Roxas asked.

"First of all, no corny presents from _any_ of you," I said sternly, looking pointedly at Axel. "And second, can I have the dorm to myself for a little while?"

"You can't kick us out of our own dorm!" Axel yelled.

"You and Roxas kicked us out before," Naomi pointed out.

"But that was different!" he protested.

She ignored him and told me, "Take all the time you need. We don't mind, _right boys_?"

Roxas shrugged, obviously not caring. "Fine," Axel muttered through gritted teeth.

"Just give one of us a call so we know when to come back," Roxas reminded me.

"Kay," I replied. "See ya later, guys."

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**Faded: DUN DUN DUN. what did Roxy-kins write in the note? :O**

**Riane: OH I KNOW! PICK ME! PICK ME!**

**Faded: guess you guys will just have to wait till next chapter :3**

**Riane: BUT I WANT TO TELL -- -got knocked out-**

**Faded: until next time! don't forget to review! reviewers get flowers special from Marluxia.**

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	13. Christmas Bells Are Ringing

**Faded: well, it's here! chapter 13!! the contents of the note are finally revealed! -dun dun dunnnn-**

**Riane: well it's about time.**

**Faded: shut it. anyways, this chapter was a pain in the ass to write... x.x so sorry it took so long, but this chapter wound up being waaaay longer than intended...so yea. enjoy anyways!**

**Riane: TFG does not own KH in any way, shape, or form. she only owns the actual games and her OC. Arisa and Naomi belong to Mad Hatter Fallon and Inokana.**

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_Riena's POV_

As soon as I was sure I was alone, I locked the door (Not that it would stop any of my roommates unless they all forgot their keys.) and took out that little crumpled excuse of a note. I couldn't make out the name on the front of the note, but the handwriting did look familiar. _'Could it be…? Nah…'_ I shrugged off the suspicion and opened the note. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw the shape the note was in, sure I saw that it was pretty crumpled, but once I opened it up, it was AWFUL!! It was super crinkled and tore in some places, and looked like it had gone through editing multiple times. A whole bunch of stuff was crossed out with red or blue pen. I recognized the red ink to be Axel's handwriting, and the blue ink to be…oh god…_Roxas' handwriting_. It took me a moment to comprehend this, considering that the note was originally written in blue ink, but once that sank in, I was able to read and (sort of) understand the note, which has been included here for your convenience.

_My dearest Riena,_

_Riena, for the time I've known you, you have sparked something in me that I never knew was there. When I see you, my heart stops. In your eyes, I see stars, and every time you take my hand I get goose bumps. Ever since that first day I found you on campus, I knew you were the one. I know that you may not feel the same way I do, but I will still treasure our friendship. If I was too forward to tell you this way, I apologize and understand._

_Forever and Always yours,_

_Roxas_

As I finished the note, I felt my face flush. _'R-Roxas…likes me?! No way…'_

_Roxas' POV_

"Why do you think she wanted the room to herself?" I asked, lounging on one of the benches out in the parking lot.

Axel shrugged. "Maybe she's got a secret boyfriend," he answered with a slight smirk.

Naomi shook her head at the suggestion. "She would have at least told me," she pointed out.

I nodded. "True, true…"

We sat in silence for a few more minutes until Axel suggested I show Naomi the note I had written. "You mean his little love note?" she asked.

"How do you know about it?!" I demanded, crossing my arms.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Please. You're _always_ messing around with it, and I thought I saw Riena's name written on it, so I put two and two together," she answered. "It wasn't that hard to figure out."

I scowled at her, but gave in. "Fine, fine…I'll show you." I reached into my pocket to show her, but…it wasn't there. "That's weird…" I muttered to myself. I stood up and patted all my pockets, but it was nowhere to be found. "Shit! I don't have it!" I exclaimed, panicking.

Axel shook his head. "Nuh-uh. That's impossible," he said. "You watch over that thing like it's your child!"

"Well I don't have it!!!" I nearly screamed at him.

"Chill out!" Naomi said, making me sit back down. "Okay, when did you last have it with you?"

I thought about it for a moment and replied, "In detention."

"It might have fallen out of your pocket," she said.

"Oh no!" I yelled. "Riena could have found it!" Right as the words came out of my mouth, my cell phone started ringing. "Dammit…" I mumbled, glancing at the caller ID. Axel peered over my shoulder to see who it was.

"Is it Riena?" Naomi asked.

He nodded. "Mm-hmm."

The two of them backed of a bit, apparently thinking that I needed the space. Which, all things considered, I probably did. I took the still ringing phone out of my pocket, took a breath, and answered the phone.

_Riena's POV_

"Hello?"

"Roxas?" I asked, hoping Axel hadn't stolen his phone as some kind of joke.

"Yeah? Whatcha need, Ri-chan?" he asked, obviously confused.

"I, uh, kinda need to talk to you," I answered, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice.

"Okaaay…shoot."

I almost laughed. Guys could be so dense sometimes… "No, I meant for you to come to the room."

"Ah…um…o-okay…" he muttered a bit nervously.

"And don't bring Naomi or Axel."

"Eh? Why?"

"I need to talk to you, um…alone."

"Sure thing Ri. I'll be right over."

"Kay then. See ya in a bit."

I hung up the phone and released a breath I didn't know I was holding. Who knew talking to him would take so much out of me? I sat on the bed waiting for Roxas to show up, but he never did. Even by the time dinner rolled around, he still hadn't shown. I sighed softly to myself. _'I knew it was too good to be true.'_ I dragged myself out of the dorm and down to the dining hall, avoiding my usual table to go sit with Arisa and Demyx instead.

"Hey," I greeted, waving slightly. "You don't mind if I…?" I gestured to the empty chair in front of me.

Arisa shrugged. "No problem. Looks like you're taking Zexy's old spot," she said with a slight smile.

"Heh…yeah."

About halfway through our meal, Demyx had seemed to remember something extremely important and started badgering Arisa about it. "Oh! Risa! Risa! You have to tell her!" he exclaimed, bouncing in his seat.

"Tell her what?" she asked, a spoonful of fried rice poised to be eaten. He leaned over and whispered something to her. "Fine, fine," she sighed. "I'll tell her. Just calm down."

"Hehe…okie dokie."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "So what's this big important thing you need to tell me?" I asked, stabbing at my barely touched food.

Arisa bit her lip before quickly replying, "DemyxandIaregoingout."

I'm pretty sure I felt my jaw hit the floor. "OH MY GOD!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?" I asked, jumping out of my seat.

"Shh!!" she said, pulling me back into my chair. "Ya don't gotta announce it to the whole damn school!" she hissed.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to think of what to say to her. Finally I just settled with; "How? Why?? A-and when???"

Arisa just sighed and put her face in her hands. Demyx took this as his cue to take over storytelling. "Weeell…I'm not really sure how or when, but as for why; well she's really nice to me and we like a lot of the same. And I really do like her."

I poked Arisa and gave her a sarcastic smile. "Jeez, Arisa. You sure know how to pick 'em."

"Shut up, Riena."

_Zexion's POV_

"So why isn't Riena sitting with you guys today?" I asked, more than a little curious as to why she seemed to be avoiding her roommates.

Naomi just shrugged. "Guess she didn't feel like it," she answered, spooning salad into her mouth.

"Well no shit, Sherlock," Axel said, rolling his eyes. "Anyone with eyes could've figured that out."

I glared at him, until he got the hint to shut up, giving me a certain _look_ that only I could read and returned to eating. "Actually," Roxas said, speaking up for the first time the entire meal, "I think it's kinda my fault…"

Naomi tilted her head slightly. "Do tell," I said, eyeing the blond inquisitively.

"Well, I think she found the note I wrote her," he sighed, fiddling with his checkered wristband. "And I think she wanted to talk to me about it."

"And…?" I asked, waiting for him to finish.

"Duh," Axel cut in. "He didn't show up."

"Shut up, Axel!" Naomi said, punching his arm probably harder than she intended. "Roxas is telling a story."

He huffed angrily and nodded at Roxas to continue. "Anyways, before I was to _rudely_ interrupted," Roxas continued, looking pointedly at Axel. "She wanted to talk about the note, so I said I'd drop by the room but I chickened out at the last second."

"What a heart-warming story," I drawled. "Though it seems to me that you've passed up your only chance to confess your undying love to her," I told him with a smirk.

"Shut up, Zexion…" he muttered, earning him a slap to his head from Naomi.

_Arisa's POV_

"So when do you plan on telling everyone else?" Riena asked, referring to mine and Demyx's relationship.

I sighed. "I dunno…probably at Christmas."

Demyx nodded enthusiastically. "That would be awesome! Like a Christmas surprise or something!"

"Naomi's gonna like, explode," she pointed out.

"Explode with happiness?" Demyx asked, hopefully.

"If she gave you a black eye, I don't think that's gonna be the case," I told him, patting his shoulder.

"Aww maaan…"

The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully, and I still didn't have any idea what to get Demyx for Christmas. When Riena left to go back to her dorm, I decided I was done as well and told Demyx I was going. He nodded and got up as well. While we were walking, he tugged my sleeve and asked, "What are you getting me for Christmas, Rissy?"

"You'll just have to wait and see!" I replied, tapping him on the nose. I really had no clue what to get him, and that made me feel terrible! I knew I was getting Zexion a My Chemical Romance CD, Riena and Naomi were getting friendship bracelets, Roxas was just getting the gift of my approval, and Axel…Axel was getting nothing.

The days went by quickly, and I could think of nothing to get Demyx. And then it came to me while I was talking to Riena. Well, actually, she was doing most of the talking, trying to analyze Roxas' love note to death, I was mostly listening. "Anyways," she was saying. "I think this part—"

Before she could finish her sentence, I had something like and epiphany…or whatever it's called. I jumped up, hitting my head on the upper bunk and (almost) exclaimed, "Ouch…I KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA GET HIM!!!"

She gave me this look like I was insane. "Get who what?" she asked.

"What I'm getting Demyx!" I cheered. "I just remembered something from when I first came here."

_**Flashback**_

It was my first day at D.I. Prep, and whoever I was sharing my dorm with, was _not_ letting me in. I knocked on the door again, this time MUCH harder. Finally I heard the sound of footsteps and someone undoing the lock. When the door opened, I saw a guy with some sort of weird silvery-bluish hair done in one of those emo cuts. He was about 2 inches shorter than me, and dressed head to toe in pretty much all black. "Can I help you?" he asked, almost glowering at me.

"I'm your new roommate," I replied, gesturing to my bag, and then moved him out of the way. I surveyed the room and noticed another guy with dirty blonde hair done up in some sort of cross between a Mohawk and a mullet hairdo. He was holding an ice pack over his face, so I could only assume that he had been punched earlier that day. "Great," I mumbled to myself. "I'm rooming with an emo and a frickin' pansy."

"FYI, we _do_ have names," Emo boy told me.

"Yea, and…?"

"Name's Zexion," Emo boy said.

"And I'm Demyx!" said the pansy, waving at me with his free arm.

"And I'm Arisa, aka, the girl who will now be ignoring you," I greeted sarcastically, sitting down on the bunk I had claimed. I took out my iPod and started listening to Fall Out Boy. I was almost in my Zone when Demyx came up and asked, "Whatcha listening to?"

"Music," I replied simply, trying to ignore him.

"Well I know _that_," he said, as if it were obvious. "But what band?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fall Out Boy."

"COOOOL!!! Fall Out Boy is awesome!" he exclaimed, bouncing slightly.

"Demyx, shut up," Zexion told him, looking up from a pile of papers. "I'm trying to finish my project."

"Sorry Zexy!" Demyx whispered. "Anyways, Fall Out Boy is pretty cool. I just wished I had their latest album."

Okay…so maybe this guy wasn't so bad. He seemed to have good taste in music…but to not have the latest album?! My jaw just about hit the floor. "You don't have Folie à Deux?"

He shook his head sadly. "Nope."

_**End flashback**_

"So you just remembered that he doesn't have the CD?" Riena asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Yep. So can I borrow 20 bucks?" I asked, grinning.

"Hmm…lemme think…" she said sarcastically. "How about no?"

I sighed. "Fine. I'll use my own money."

"Not like you don't have any to spare. You _are_ the only one that works," she reminded me.

"True, true."

I stood up, about to leave when it seemed to finally dawn on Riena what I was doing. "Wait, you're leaving me?!" she whined.

I shrugged. "I have to buy the CD, so yea."

"Fine. Leave me."

"Okay, I will. Bye!"

_Riena's POV_

'_And there goes another friend who's in love…'_ I thought sadly. There were times when I couldn't help but wonder if the note I had found was a prank. I contemplated this and the possible meanings of the note for days before realizing that Christmas was officially the next day. Between my musings and meals, I had managed to buy presents for everyone and had stashed them (already wrapped!) under my bed.

As I fell asleep on Christmas Eve, I could only hope that Christmas would turn out better than my depressed side thought.

***

When I woke up on Christmas Day, I was completely worry-free. I wasn't thinking about Roxas, the note, nothing that would get me down. The only thing on my mind was Christmas, presents, and the 0.00000000001 percent chance that the Islands might actually get some snow. I bounded out of bed and grabbed my robe. As I pulled it on, I was saying, "Get up guys! It's Christmas!" I went around shaking everyone awake, and once I was sure they were up I yelled, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!" at the top of my lungs.

Naomi covered her ears and said, "Jeez, Riena. It may be Christmas, but does that give you the right to wake us up at…" She glanced over to the clock. "Nine in the morning?"

"I guess it does…" Roxas muttered, yawning loudly.

Axel just fell back onto his bed and announced, "I'm going back to sleep."

"Oh no you're not!" I told him. "You get up and get ready. The gift exchange is in our room."

"Whaaaaaat?" Naomi whined. "Why??"

"Because somehow, our dorm is cleaner that Demyx, Zexion, and Arisa's," I answered. "Now you guys all get ready while I go get the rest of the gang."

I skipped down the hall (still in my PJs and robe, mind you) to Arisa's dorm. I banged on the door until I heard Arisa tell Zexion to "just open the goddamn door." He opened the door, glaring at me and asked, "What the hell are you waking us up for at nine in the morning?"

"Hehe…your girlfriend asked me the same thing!" This didn't seem to amuse him in the slightest as he only continued glaring at me. "Gift exchange time~!" I told him happily. I walked in and over to the lump that was Arisa. "Wake up Risa!"

She peeked out from under the covers and asked, "Did you come down here in your pajamas?"

I nodded. "Yep, yep! Now hurry up," I said. "I'll see you guys back at my dorm."

When I got back to my dorm, the first thing I noticed was that Axel was missing. "Where's Axel?" I asked, looking around. Roxas nodded toward Axel's bunk and went back to looking for…I don't know. Gifts, probably. I climbed up to Axel's bunk, but only found a mountain for sheets and his comforter. "Oh ha, ha, Roxas," I said, rolling my eyes. "Where is he?"

"He's up there!" Roxas insisted.

I sighed and poked the pile of blankets. "Is anything in there?" I asked. When I got no response, I picked up a pillow and whacked the "mountain" with it. "Hellooo?" I called. "Anyone home?" There was groan followed by foot popping out to try and kick me off. "Come _on_ Axel! They're gonna be here soon!" Another groan, and something moved under the pile. By the time Naomi had come out of the bathroom, Axel had finally poked his head out from under his pile of blankets.

"What?" he asked, his hair still bed-headed.

I suppressed a laugh and said, "Everyone else is gonna be here soon, so get ready."

"Meh," was all he said. He pulled his head back in and shoved his covers off. "I'll try and hurry…" he mumbled, heading toward the bathroom.

The second the bathroom door closed, someone started pounding on our door. "Coming, coming!" I called. I opened the door and Arisa, Demyx, and Zexion walked in. "Hey guys!"

"Can we get this over with?" Naomi asked, pulling Zexion down to sit next to her. "I wanna go back to sleep."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Ok, fine." Once Axel came back as ready as I could hope for, I told everyone to sit in a circle with their presents in front of them. I somehow ended up between Roxas and Axel; while Axel was acting perfectly normal, Roxas was acting slightly odd, but I thought nothing of it.

So present-wise, everyone seemed happy with what they got. Some of the highlights were that Axel got a 12 pack Red Bull from me; which, now that I think about it, probably wasn't the best idea, but he was happy so I guess that's all that matters, right? Demyx got his new CD from Arisa, and Zexion got Naomi that hair dye she had been begging for. And then right before we could wrap up (Roxas and his present for me somehow wound up being last, so we weren't entirely done yet.) Arisa stood up saying she had an announcement.

"Oh my god, did some asshole get you pregnant?!" Naomi asked, almost falling over.

Arisa laughed at the suggestion and replied, "No, but I _am_ going out with Demyx."

An awkward silence filled the room. Apparently Demyx wasn't a very smooth sort of guy, considering all the guys were looking at him with "WTF?" looks on the faces. Naomi was utterly speechless. "You know guys," I said, breaking the silence. "Every time there's an awkward silence God smites a kitten." This broke the silence well, getting everyone to crack up at my comment. "Alright, seriously now, guys. We have to wrap this up," I said, still laughing a bit. I turned to Roxas and asked, "So what's _my_ present, Roxy-kins?" I grinned widely and batted my eyelashes like the retard I was.

_Roxas' POV_

I felt my face flush at Riena's eyelash batting. She was way too good at making me nervous. _'No way man! You have to do this!'_ I told myself. I cleared my throat slightly and told her, "Well, I didn't get you a material object. Instead I have something else to give, which I hope will be just as good." She cocked her head in that adorable way she does when she's confused. I took another breath, feeling my face heat up even more and continued. "Riena, you can't begin to understand how I feel about you. But I will tell you this…" The room and everyone in it seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for me to finish. I leaned over to her and whispered the one thing that would seal my fate. "I love you so, so much, Riena Takashi." I gave her a light kiss on the cheek and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She hugged my tightly and said, "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to ask that."

"Is that a yes?" I asked, hopeful.

"Roxas Hikari, you fool; of course it is," she answered.

I heard the others laugh and Arisa say, "Finally!" But none of that mattered at that moment. No…the only thing that mattered in that moment was Riena. My beautiful and precious Riena.

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**Faded: whew! how was it? like it? didn't like it? too sappy? **

**Riane: LONG CHAPTER IS LONG. Dx**

**Faded: yes. but don't stop reading yet! there's still more to come!**

**Riane: shall we give them a hint?**

**Faded: yep. remember Riena's fight with Larxene? well that's gonna rear it's ugly head again! just goes to show...revenge doesn't solve anything.**


	14. Stranger to this Feeling

**Faded: look! it's alive! i didn't forget about it!**

**Riane: be still my beating heart.**

**Faded: what heart?**

**Riane: shut up.**

**Faded: anyways...after a long long loooong hiatus, i have revived HISBS. for a little while, at least.**

**Riane: huzzah. /sarcasm**

**Faded: anyways...my lovely muse, if you would.**

**Riane: yea, yea. i don't get paid enough for this...ahem, The Faded Guardian does not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its affiliates. she only owns her OC, Riena. all other OCs belong to friends.**

**Faded: enjoy!  
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_Axel's POV_

Well, as all good things must, winter break had come to an end. Classes had started back up again. The bad thing about that was, I put off the paper I was supposed to write for English. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "God Axel, you're such a procrastinator." While, yes, you would be right, we got an extra week to do the paper; probably because Ms. Lockheart knew at least half of us would have put it off. And it was during this time that I threw together another half-assed paper. Damn, I don't know what I'd do without Riena and her awesome laptop. So now here I am, falling asleep in English waiting for my crappy paper to get an F. Again. Instead of paying attention like I should have been, I rested my head on the desk and sent a text to Roxas.

_Yo! 'sup homie?_

_**Dude, don't *ever* say that again**_

_heh…sorry…_

_**aren't you in eng.?**_

_yea…so?_

_**you should pay attn before you fail**_

_stfu. too late for that anyway_

_**lol. yea. ditching ya now. Ansem decided to give out a pop quiz :P**_

_k. bai._

I lifted my head up from the desk and the first thing I saw when I looked up scared the living hell out of me.

"OH MY GOD! THERE'S A FLOATING HAND CORRECTING MY FUCKIN' PAPER!"

The entire class fell silent, all their eyes on me. "Hehe…sorry." I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, looking at the suddenly immensely interesting desk in front of me.

"Axel!" Ms. Lockheart yelled. "Detention. After school."

I looked up at my teacher; Ms. Tifa Lockheart, known for being a hard-ass on all the guy students she had. "But Ms. Tifa!" I cried, "There seriously was some random floating hand writing on my paper!"

"Axel, another outburst like that and I'll have you suspended."

This shut me up immediately. I could handle detentions, but a single suspension and my ass gets shipped back to, ahem, Hollow Bastion Academy for Misunderstood Youths. Ain't that a mouthful? Anyway, class ended and when we got our papers back the next week, I expected to see the usual F. but instead, staring back at me from my paper was a D. I couldn't believe it! I even thought I had someone else's paper. Like Marluxia, or someone who wasn't me. "Guess that floating hand of yours really did help, eh Axel?" Ms. Lockheart commented, as she passed my desk to hand a paper to someone behind me. "Good job, Cascylla. An A, as always," I heard Ms. Lockheart say to the person behind me.

'_Who the hell…?'_ I turned around in my seat and saw a girl with blonde hair, who looked about sophomore age. _'Wait…if she's a sophomore, then why is she in my English 5-6 class?'_ My eyes traveled down to her desk and immediately spotted the one thing that I never wanted to see again. "YOU!" I yelled, as the bell rang for my study hall period.

"Yes?" she asked, a look of genuine confusion on her face.

"You're coming with me," I told her, grabbing her hand and dragging her out the door.

"But this is my only free period!" she cried. "I have a paper to finish!"

"As sorry as I am about that, I still need you to come with me," I said, racing down the halls to get to study hall.

_Riena's POV_

Ah, study hall…have I mentioned that it's my favorite period? I leaned back in my chair and opened up my copy of _House of Leaves_, trying not to disturb the placement of the sticky notes sticking out of the pages. Half way down the page I started on, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up from the book and saw Roxas taking a seat beside me. "Hey Roxas," I greeted, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He blushed, still not used to that kind of thing. "Hey Ri. Where's Axel?"

I shrugged. "No clue. Hey, is he still on about that stupid floating hand or whatever?"

He rolled his eyes. "_Yes_. He won't friggin' shut up about it!" He was about to say something else when I was hug-attacked from behind by Arisa and Naomi.

"Hi Riena!" they said in unison.

"Hey guys. Either of you seen Axel?" I asked.

The two of them shook their heads. "Nope. Hey! Maybe he got jumped!" Naomi suggested hopefully.

"How the hell would someone jump him in the halls?" Arisa asked. "More importantly, why would they want to"

"I can probably think of one out of thousands, of millions, of billions, of trillions, of infinity people who would want to jump out little Axie-chan," Naomi replied, grinning.

"Wow Naomi…I think you've taken confusion to a whole new level," Axel commented, suddenly appearing behind her, holding onto the wrist of some girl who looked like she really needed to be somewhere else. She lifted her head and looked at all of us, and when her eyes finally landed on Naomi, the two of them gasped in shock.

"Cascylla!" "Naomi!" they said together.

"I haven't seen you since we were at Radiant Garden Prep last year!" Cascylla said happily.

"I know! Oh, it's been far too long, daaaahling." Naomi told her, taking on a British accent.

"Oh yes, far, _far_, too long," Cascylla agreed, also taking on a British accent.

They looked at each other for a silent ten seconds before breaking out into laughter.

"Do you two know each other, or something?" Demyx asked, completely oblivious to the situation.

I rolled my eyes. "Demyx, I really don't think that two complete strangers would know each others' old school and then joke in British accents!" I told him, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

"Everyone, this is my bestest, almost-sister-friend I've ever had, Cascylla," Naomi introduced. "Cascylla, this if my friend and roommate Riena, firehead Axel, lovesick Roxas, baka Demyx, weird Arisa, my boyfriend Zexion, and everyone else who isn't as cool as us."

"Hi! …Hey! Who's that? Her hair is so pretty!" Cascylla commented.

"Umm…first of all, that's a _guy_," Naomi told her. "And second, that's Marluxia. He's a fag-bucket."

"No he's not!" I said, not knowing why I was even defending him in the first place.

"Oh yeah, and Riena used to date him."

"Um, hello? Can I get back to why I dragged, uh…Cascylla here?" Axel asked, cutting into the conversation. I quirked an eyebrow, but nodded letting him continue. "Okay, so you remember about that random floating hand that I told you guys about?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Axel! Not this again!" he said, sounding exasperated.

"Hey, shut up, Rox. I swear I saw it! And I have proof! Wanna know how?" he asked. Before any of us could answer, he waved Cascylla's hand in the air. "It's right here! She was the one correcting my paper! And she's the reason that I got a D! So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the floating hand that you all gave me crap about." He smiled triumphantly at us.

"Uh, that hand is attached to a person, who has a name, who happens to also be one of my best friends, you asswipe," Naomi snapped.

He only rolled his eyes and turned to Cascylla. "Anyways," he said to her. "Since your corrections got my a D, I was wondering…could you tutor me in English?"

I couldn't help it; I started cracking up like no tomorrow. "Oh my god, it seriously sounded like you were going to ask her out or something, Axel!"

Cascylla turned several shades of red when I said this. Axel only tossed a playful smirk my way and said, "Ah, be quiet you."

I grinned and gave him a wink. "Love ya too." He chuckled and ruffled my hair affectionately. Roxas sat there glowering at him, looking read to punch poor Axel. Or me. "Aw…Rox-as…you know that Axel and I are still kinda friends with benefits."

"Yeah, well you don't have to go and be all flirty with him right in front of me," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry…" I gave him an apologetic kiss, effectively turning him red and speechless.

"So can ya tutor me for English or what?" Axel asked Cascylla again.

She shrugged, seeming to know that there was no saying no to the red-head in front of her. "Sure. Why not."

* * *

**Faded: sorry for the fail short chapter :/**

**Riane: next chapter will be longer, don't worry.**

**Faded: yup. and that's also when the drama will rear it's head again, so stay tuned! hopefully i'll update before another year is over.**

**Riane: don't forget to review. it motivates her to update faster...usually**

**Faded: reviewers get free cookies! until next time, my dears!  
**


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